


Let it be Me

by madamnovelist



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Did I just tag that I have issues?, F/F, How to fall in love in 9 months, I clearly have issues, It's a Nevada AU, Lesbian Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith, Lesbian Sex, Lesbian Zelda Spellman, Mary is Super Soft in This, Pregnancy, Sabrina here is no a brat, Slow Burn, Soft Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith/Zelda Spellman, Softie Hildie, They'll fuck eventually, Zelda Sings Country Songs, Zelda has a terrible attitude, Zelda teaches horse riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:41:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27387340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamnovelist/pseuds/madamnovelist
Summary: After discovering she's pregnant, Bostonian Mary Wardwell drops her work in finance and runs away in her car. She ends up in Blue Diamond, NV, a village so small she feels like she's back to 1850. Here, she meets Zelda Spellman, a surprisingly smart and intelligent gal who owns the town inn and a ranch.Is it possibile for them to fall in love and build a family in 9 months?
Relationships: Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith
Comments: 197
Kudos: 182





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> When I joined the fandom I actually told my friend I was going to write ONE fanfiction to decompress after finishing my novel. Well, it tuned out BADLY.  
> This was an idea I had for an actual novel, then I watched "Doing time for Patsy Cline" (oh, Mira, I'll eat you for breakfast on Sunday!) and I just pictured Zelda singing country songs as Mary watches her, nursing a cup of tea.  
> Actually, maybe BD is not the small, country village I have in mind, so you have to use a little imagination here.

**Let It Be Me**

**- _love made the danger_**

**_in you look like safety –_ **

****

**A Spellwell Nevada AU**

**PROLOGUE**

Zelda Spellman, mud-dirty tight tank top and discolored jeans, was filling up the back of her Jeep with boxes, when in the street – the empty street which leads to Las Vegas – appeared a brand new, red Porsche which stopped abruptly right next to Zelda’s old truck. She stopped her work, curious: not every day you see a car like that in Blue Diamond. And the very few you could spot, weren’t likely to stop there: they usually drove down to Vegas. This Porsche not only did stop in the middle of the village, but it even was a creepy cherry-red. If Zelda had a car like that…

A door opened and the first thing Zelda saw was a white, toned leg, ending up in a tiffany stiletto – which was _terrible_ next to the red of the cherry car. The leg was attached to a brunette girl, wearing a summer dress with a cardigan.

Was she a Vegas dancer? What the Hell would a Vegas dancer do in Blue Diamond?

Two big, ice blue eyes, sweet and scared, focused on Zelda’s tanned, make-up free face, and holding up a brand-new iPhone, the woman asked: “There’s a place where I can get a new charger for my phone?”

A place to buy an iPhone charger? In Blue Diamond? The place literally had four houses, the Spellman – Zelda’s family – Inn with the diner, a ranch – also Zelda’s – and one general shop, along with a few other buildings, and everybody lived more or less like it was mid 1800.

Zelda laughed straight to the woman’s face: “It’s better if you go back to Hollywood, miss!”

She turned around and resumed her work, and the brunette climbed back on her Porsche and passing by Zelda – so close she was about to touch her with the car’s mirror – she shouted: “Bitch!” and disappeared.

In Vegas’ direction, of course.

She came back.

It must have been when Zelda was in the yard: days ago, she had promised Prudence Blackwood – a strange but nice enough girl who ran the local kindergartner school with her two sisters – to host a ride on her ponies for the bigger kids, and she had spent her afternoon doing just that. It must have been why she hadn’t seen the cherry car coming back. And yet, she spotted it parked right in front of the inn, and when she went inside, the brunette was sitting at the table, blanket on her shoulders, steaming mug of tea in her hands, Zelda’s family fretting around her. Well, Hilda, her little sister, was definitely fretting, her voice low, thick English accent as she reassured the brunette – _Mary_ , Hilda is calling her Mary, and their nephews – Ambrose, 17, and Sabrina, 15, are nearby, apparently busing reading, technically spying on the outsider like they would do with an animal at the zoo.

“Oh, Zelds, love, here you are! Come and meet Mary!”

“Ah, but we’ve met,” Zelda replied sarcastically, and started going through the kitchen’s cupboards for some alcohol. “Found a charger, yet? She called me a bitch,” she explained to her sister.

“Oh, don’t mock her,” Hilda scolded. “Knowing you, Zelds, you didn’t even introduce yourself: Mary, this is my big sister Zelda, and Zelda, this lovely lady here is Mary Wardwell, from Boston.”

“Oh, not Hollywood, so? You’ve drove that cherry car pretty far,” Zelda commented, plopping on a chair right in front of Mary with a beer.

“I just drove,” Mary shrugged. “And the car is brand new, thank you very much. I got it with my bonus, last year. And I called you a bitch because you were a bitch, to me.”

“What do you do, love?” asked Hilda. Hilda called everyone love.

Sabrina trotted closed, stopping right behind Zelda, crossing her pale arms around her aunt’s neck.

“I worked in finance, up until yesterday, at least. And you guys?”

“We run the inn. And Zelda runs the ranch, as well. She gives horse riding lessons, you know?” and as Hilda blinked at Mary, Zelda snorted. For the first time, since their _randez-vous_ next to the cars, Zelda took her time and looked at Mary. She felt her breath catching in her throat: se actually looked like she belonged in Hollywood, with her super styled curly chestnut hair, her red lips – smashed on Hilda’s porcelain mug – and her styled clothes, but Zelda had to admit, she was _stunning._ Sharp, defined cheekbones, big blue eyes, thin but delicious lips, slender neck and from what she had seen, a great body as well.

 _The prettiest are always the bitchiest_ , she thought, before telling her: “Let me see if I got it straight: you technically run away?”

Mary nodded: “Yes, is that so crazy?” Her voice, for the first time, was free from any sort of irony or sarcasm.

Zelda thought about it for a moment. Out of the blue, she felt a wave of compassion for this woman, her designed clothes, her iPhone (dirty little secret: Zelda had one too).

“I think all of us had wanted to run away, at least once,” she reasoned.

Mary looked at Hilda: “This is an inn, right? Can I have a room? For one night?”

“Of course you can, love. And you are definitely going to have dinner with us. We don’t have customers up until Summer. Any particular food you don’t eat?”

Mary bit her bottom lip as her eyes filled up with tears: “I have a long list of stuff I can’t eat. I just found out I’m pregnant.”


	2. One Month Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary decides to stay in Blue Diamond for a bit and Zelda has a really bad temper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grab a snack and get comfy: this is LONG.

**Chapter 1 – One Month Pregnant**

Zelda woke up to the birds singing outside her window, like she’s done all her life.

She sighed and sat down on her bed, scratching her head and yawning. She glanced at the clock: she really needed to get going. She had quite a lot of tasks planned for the day, including the scheduling of the week. It’s something she usually did on Sunday nights but she skipped it on Sunday and yesterday… well, Mary had retired as soon as they were done with dinner, but Hilda and Sabrina has stayed awake in commenting the stranger, her dress, her polite manner, her sad eyes. Her niece and sister and their gossiping, Zelda thought getting out of bed. She reached for a sweater and slipped it on, walking barefoot to the bathroom right in front of her room.

She was about to push the door open when she heard clear vomiting sounds.

_Ugh. Pregnancies._

She leaned against the wall, outside of the bathroom, crossing her arms on her perky small breasts and she waited.

She heard the toiler flush and in a couple of minutes Mary appeared, so different from the previous night: feet clad in fluffy red socks, impossibly tight black leggings, over-sized ruined tank top, face pale as a ghost, wild hair back in a messy ponytail. She was wearing a pair of big glasses (quite differently from Zelda, who had forgot hers on her nightstand and now couldn’t see farer than her own nose).

“Oh!” she gulped when she spotted Zelda, red curls everywhere.

“Rough morning, uh?” Zelda asked, trying to push on the side of her head how nice Mary just looked in leggings, without her designed clothes and her stilettos and that horrendously colored car.

“I guess I’m just experiencing the joys of motherhood,” she answered sarcastically, wiping a trace of toothpaste from her lips. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting for the bathroom.”

“No problems,” Zelda smiled. “What are your plans for the day?” she asked, and she immediately regretted it: what was she doing? Making conversation with that girl when she actually had to run to the stable?

“I wanted to get back on my car and kept on driving but I’m feeling too shitty to go anywhere. This child wants me dead.”

“I didn’t expect you to leave so soon. if you feel that bad, why don’t you go back to bed? I’ll speak with Hilda and see if she can come up with some remedy. She loves herbs,” she grinned.

Mary thought about it for a moment: “I guess I can stay for another day,” she said tentatively.

“Are you actually heading somewhere?” Zelda asked again, unable to let it drop and mind her own business.

“No, not somewhere specific. I told you, I am just…riding.”

“Well,” Zelda started. “Soon or late you’ll have to stop somewhere. Want to come downstairs with me for breakfast?”

“I don’t exactly look presentable, and I don’t know if I can stomach anything, right now.”

“Suit yourself,” Zelda shrugged. “I have to hurry. See you later!” and she locked herself in the bathroom.

Zelda got ready for the day and when she got downstair, she told Hilda about Mary’s nausea and about her probably staying there for another day. Then, she went to the stable before she had the chance to see Hilda start fretting over Mary’s condition.

It’s a peaceful, sunny morning, and she took care of her horses, enjoying her solitude. Well, up until Mrs. Meeks arrived, of course. Like every morning, she drops her grocery bag outside the fence of Zelda’s ranch.

“Morning, Zelda, dear,” she greeted, like every morning.

“Morning, Mrs. Meeks!” Zelda greeted back, hoping that actually sounded like a greeting and not a grunt. Mrs. Meeks was the town’s old widow. She lived in a small cottage right next to the church, at the opposite side from the Spellman Inn. She did grocery shopping every weekday and every day she stopped to talk gossip with Zelda, oblivious to the fact that Zelda didn’t really was the gossip kind and she fancied being alone with her horses, in the morning.

“Zelda, dear, what’s up with the Barbie pink car in front of your house?” she asked. Okay, she was colorblind as well.

“That’s red, Mrs. Meeks,” Zelda corrected, still brushing Lighthope’s back. Lighthope was lowkey her favorite horses: she just owned two, a male and a female, and two ponies, but Lighthope had a special spot in her heart: she was the purest black, strong and fast, and her eyes were so very sweet.

“Yes, well, whatever color it is, what is it doing in front of your house?”

Zelda didn’t have any intention of feeding Mary’s personal business to Mrs. Meeks. Of course, she wasn’t so naïve to ignore the fact that if Mary stayed in Blued Diamond for more than two hours, her personal life was going to be all over the town, but she was not going to be responsible for that. And not because of some sort of courtesy for Mary – whom she didn’t know and wasn’t even sure she found nice – but because it’s clear as daylight that Mary had issues, and it was not going to be Zelda the one to serve Mrs. Meeks’ curiosity.

“Oh, you know, just a family friend,” she explained, already knowing that the details won’t be enough for the old chatterbox.

“Really? And why are them here?”

“Just to visit?” retorted Zelda, trying not to let too much sarcasm slip into the sentence. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Meeks, but I have to go. Have a good day!”

She patted Lighthope’s neck and whispering a hurried: “Good girl,” she ran to the front door, abandoned her muddy shoes at the threshold and went to seek asylum inside.

She looked at her wristwatch: it was already past eleven. Ambrose was in Vegas for the week, to attend university classes, Sabrina was at school – she was still in high school, in the nearest town, and Hilda was humming, busy making lunch.

“Already back, sister?” she asked Zelda when she spotted her tiptoeing around, surely looking for a pre-lunch drink.

“I had to escape that damn Mrs. Meeks,” she explained, grabbing a bottle of wine from the fridge.

“Wanted dirt on Mary, uhm?”

“That old bitch,” Zelda sighed. “Speaking of which… Where’s the vomiting lady?”

“Zelds!” Hilda exclaimed, her face shocked. “It’s not nice to make fun of her like that.” “I just hope she’s still alive.”

“Very funny. I guess she is, I haven’t seen her since I brought her tea and toasts early this morning. It would be nice to go and see what she’s up to.”

“It would be,” Zelda agreed, but took a sit, nonetheless.

“Zelds…”

“Oh, me? Hilda, we don’t even get along!”

“You don’t know each other. Go upstairs and tell her I made her some rice and soup for lunch, to help her stomach.”

Zelda groaned but got up without arguing. She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Hilda. Anyway, getting into Mary’s room, even if it was the middle of the day, felt too much of an intrusion. She barely knew the girl. Anyway, that or Hilda going on and on about how she really needed to work on her attitude. She breathed and knocked.

“Come in!” Mary’s voice called from inside and Zelda opened the door. She was in bed, two pillows behind her back, the room full of light. She was browsing what appeared to be a finance magazine.

“Oh, it’s you. Ms. Spellman.”

“Zelda is fine,” Zelda suggested, resting against the door and crossing her arms on her chest. “How do you feel?”

“I guess my stomach doesn’t really want to cooperate, today.”

“Hilda made rice and soup, hopefully those will stay down.”

Mary nodded: “I really don’t know how to thank you guys for how kind you are.”

Zelda shrugged: “That’s just Hilda. What are you reading?”

“Just a random work magazine I had in my bag. For the first time in my life I left home without a book in my purse and my phone is dead, so…”

“What do you read?”

“Everything,” Mary smiled.

“Ok, wait.”

Zelda disappeared for a few minutes and got to her room and to her big, full, almost-exploding bookcase. She picked up a few of her favorites, her iPhone charger, and went back to Mary’s room.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Of course,” Mary smiled, her blue eyes shining. She moved the blanket away and crossed her slim, toned legs.

“I have Tiffany McDaniel, McEwan, and of course Jane Austen’s novels. And the charger, of course.”

She dropped everything on Mary’s bed, trying not to get too much into Mary’s personal space. She watched in horror as the brunette’s eyes filled with tears.

“It’s just the hormones,” Mary groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Ignore me.”

“I swear I wasn’t going to make you cry,” Zelda said, lost.

“No, no, it’s the pregnancy. I have terrible mood’s swings, it’s not your fault, you’ve been so nice, and I’ve wanted to read Tiffany McDaniel for quite some time.”

“You’ll definitely have time to do that, right after lunch. Why don’t we go downstairs, and have another cup of tea before we eat?”

They did just so, and Hilda was extremely pleasured by the fact.

Mary and Zelda both sat at the table while Hilda put the final touches to lunch. The blonde immediately engaged Mary in conversation, which the brunette gladly accepted. Hilda held the chatting to light topics: the weather, movies, books. Mary told about Zelda landing her some of her novels, and Hilda smiled at her big sister. Zelda, however, wasn’t actively participating in the conversation. As soon she they got downstair, she grabbed her highlighter and her book and curled up on a stool, her wine in handy, and started studying.

Of course, that immediately got Mary’s attention: “What are you reading? Zelda?”

“It’s a book for uni. The use of the language in Greek Epic.”

“The use of _Greek_ language?”

“That would be the one. I’m studying Ancient Greek.”

Mary’s blues eyes were even bigger than usually. “Ok, I need a better explanation.”

“I’m a Language Major and after that I discovered I liked Ancient Languages, so I started taking extra classes and just doing post-grads exams. I’m fluent in Latin and Hebrew and now my goal is Ancient Greek.”

“Which languages do you speak?” Mary asked, eyes fixed on Zelda, as Hilda set the table, a proud look on her face.

“Fluently? English, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian. I even know a little bit of Portuguese and Chinese.” When she spotted Mary’s incredulous look, she added: “You got here in a peculiar time, but I can tell you, from June to October and at Christmas we have every room booked.”

“We’re cheap and close to Vegas,” Hilda said, gently patting Mary’s back as she handed her a bowl full of fuming soup.

“It’s just tomato soup, darling, I hope you like it.”

“I do,” Mary nodded, picking at a piece of toast. “And are you liking it?” she asked Zelda. “Ancient Greek, I mean.”

“Oh, yes. My one true love is Latin, anyway.”

They ate in silence for a little while, Mary slower than them, trying not to upset her stomach more than it already was. After a while, Mary said vaguely: “What do you think is the best time to get on the road?”

“To go where, love?” Hilda asked, her English accent even ticker.

“I don’t really know. To California, I guess. I’d like to go somewhere warm.”

“Is warm here, as well,” Hilda commented, and Zelda made a grunt. _We’re in the fucking desert._

She didn’t say it, instead she listened to Hilda asking: “How long have you drove before stopping here?”

“A lot. I rested around on gas stations and random crappy motels.”

“Love, this is just a stupid thing to do. A beautiful girl like you, alone on the road.”

Hilda was younger than Zelda and, Zelda supposed, probably than Mary as well, but she treated everybody as her children. Mary blushed at the compliment: “I can take care of myself,” she assured, and yet that wasn’t irritated, just something to make Hilda feel better. “And one place is like the other, in my situation.”

“But, I’m sure your parents…”

“They’re dead. And I’m an only child.”

“The father of the baby…”

“There is no father,” Mary corrected softly. “Seriously, Hilda, I appreciate your concern, but I guess you can say I’m alone in the world. And with no intention of going back to Boston. My life was a mess way before I found out about… this. And I don’t want to live in a mess. Not anymore.”

“Well, why don’t you stay here?” Hilda offered, and Zelda dropped the spoon in the bowl.

“ _Here_?” Mary asked. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.”

“Of course you are! Blue D. is a great place, and you can take walks, and… well, not riding horses, ok, but it’s plenty of things you can do. Ambrose is never around, and Sabrina works all summer so we never see her. You can help me with the maths for the Inn and you can have your room, in exchange. And if you feel like it, Zelds can take you to Vegas.”

Mary was speechless. Zelda was as well.

“Blue D. is very relaxing, Mary. And I promise we won’t bother you.”

“Bother? You’ve been so nice… Oh crap here we go again,” Mary whimpered, and this time, Zelda handed her a napkin.

“It’s the hormones,” she explained to a stunned Hilda. “It’s something entirely normal in her condition.”

Mary wiped at her eyes and drank some water. Then, she sighed: “I…I guess I can stay.”

“Oh, that’s so lovely!” Hilda exclaims.

“Yes, but we better move that car into the garage,” Zelda shrugged. “Attracts too much looks.”

* * *

After lunch, with a pair of jeans and a blouse, a pair of flip-flops borrowed from Hilda, Mary ventured outside.

She felt slightly better and with a great desire of exploring the surroundings. She already had the basics about the Inn down: a heaven of wood and carpets, with a green kitchen full of plants, a big parlor with soft couches and a fireplace. There were four rooms downstairs, two on the first floor, three on the second and another, bigger one in the attics. Those, and then the ones of the family members: Sabrina had a big one in the attics, Hilda and Ambrose one each on the second floor. And on the first, aside from the mentioned two, two more, secluded from the main hall: Zelda’s bedroom, a bathroom, and the one Mary was currently occupying.

Outside, it was even nicer: the front porch was rather small, with a wooden table and four chairs, facing the main road and the mountains. Mary breathed deeply, looking at the mountains and then at the building she didn’t know and didn’t even want to explore. She felt safe there. _Just there._

She circumnavigated the house where, she supposed, was Zelda’s ranch.

She was correct, and she found Zelda as well. She was sitting on a blanket, considerably away from her horses, book opened in front of her. She was wearing the same outfit she had on at lunch, leggings and a green crop top.

Mary actually took her time to look at her: her hips and ass were full, she was rather curvy without being fat and her skin was lilywhite and perfect, a few freckles spread on her nose. Her eyes were big, emerald and beautiful. Sharp nose, delicious lips, a chin with a slight cleft in it. And luscious strawberry blonde hair. She was actually chewing on the end of a pencil and had a pair of vintage beige sunglasses on her nose, her hair up in a bun on her head.

Mary wasn’t sure about anything in her life, in that moment, but one thing she knew for sure: _Zelda was drop dead gorgeous._ And she was positive she was smart and educated as well.

“Are you done spying on me?” Zelda asked, not raising her head from her book.

Mary startled a little: “Oh! I’m sorry. I was just… looking around. Again with the Epic Greek?”

“Yes… It’s quite beautiful.”

Zelda turned to Mary and crossed her legs, raising her glasses on her head: “You know the first and the last letters of the alphabet are the alfa and the omega… They symbolize the beginning and the end of everything. Of life. A circle. Everything is between these two letters, like… I don’t know, like some sort of divinity.”

“Generally known as God,” Mary murmured. “That’s beautiful, Zelda.”

The redhead blushed: “It’s just plain metaphors. I just started studying it, anyway. But the most fascinating thing are the Epic tales. You know, in the Iliad, how they told us Patroclus and Achilles were cousins?”

Mary shook her head and, without asking for permission, she discarded her flip-flops and sat down on the blanket, next to Zelda. “I don’t know anything about this. Please, tell me.”

“It’s this magnificent tale of this hero, Achilles, who goes fight this war which he doesn’t give a shit about.”

“And why he goes?”

“Because everyone else is. It’s a matter of honor, you know? He’s about to be king. And he’s a hero, no one expects any less from him.”

“I know a thing of two about expectations,” Mary murmured, toying with Zelda’s highlighter.

“So he leaves for Troy and he brings along Patroclus and he fights with honor every day for ten years, but without getting too exposed because there’s a prophecy on him: they will win the war but he will die.”

Mary is silent, her eyes never leaving Zelda’s face as she listens.

“Long story short, something happens and he quits, he just stays in while everybody around him dies. Then Patroclus steals his armor and goes to war in his place. And he dies.”

Mary gasped and Zelda smiled: “Achilles goes mad, kills Patroclus’ killer and then fights until he gets killed. He doesn’t care about the prophecy anymore because his life is meaningless without Patroclus.”

Mary is still silent. She’s scared and attracted at the same time. Scared of feeling something so strong, while at the same time she can’t help but wonder how it would feel to be so in love with someone.

“Patroclus was is lover?” she asked.

“That’s the interesting thing. He was, yes. But it’s just recent lit criticism. For millennia and millennia, they told us they were cousins. Because Middle Age Church didn’t find it… uplifting, to promote that kind of relationship.”

“I don’t have cousins, but I can’t imagine wanting to die for them,” Mary commented. She smiled at Zelda: “Thanks for telling me the story. It was beautiful.”

“You’re welcome,” Zelda smiled back.” Are you done exploring?”

“One bit at a time, I guess. I think I’ll have some free time in the imminent future.”

Zelda snorted: “The first thing you need to do is buy some new clothes, because I guess what you wore in your super fancy office won’t do, in Blue D.”

“I guess so,” Mary sighed. “But I have some leggings and plain tees. And… I don’t really feel like going outside the perimeter of your propriety, right now.”

* * *

Days after days, sniffling and looking, Mary got used to the Spellman family.

Hilda was two years younger than herself, unmarried, actually had a serious crush on Lance Cee, the owner of the general store. Hilda was like a mom for everyone: she anticipated Sabrina and Ambrose’s needs and always looked after Zelda, even if she never seemed to like it and used to complain about it. In a very short time, Hilda started taking Mary under her protective wing as well, and she fretted about her even more than about the others. She googled remedies for nausea and started having Mary testing them, and some of them actually worked. She fretted about what she ate and how much, and what was okay for the baby and what not.

Starting to love Hilda was the easiest thing, for Mary: after the first two weeks, the brunette started helping the blonde with the financial part of the Inn and cooked a few meals for the family as well. They chatted happily while cooking and soon, Mary, who wasn’t that used to having friends, found herself with one.

Even easiest than loving Hilda, was to love Sabrina: she popped on the chair next to Mary at breakfast, two days after the brunette arrived in Blue Diamond, and started asking her questions: what she did for a living, where was she from, was she alone, was it true that she was pregnant. Mary replied in the simplest way – _I work in finance, I used to live in Boston, yes I have no family and yes, I’m expecting a baby_ – and normally she would have been bothered by the personal questions, but Sabrina was so straightforward and innocent she wasn’t annoyed at all.

Since that moment, Sabrina picked up the habit of sitting next to her at breakfast, or to come find her in the afternoon, after school, to tell her what happened in school or to seek help with math homework (something she really despised). After a while, Mary confessed to Sabrina that she wasn’t that fond of numbers: she had liked them in high school and university and her job was easy to her and well-paid, but nowadays she preferred literature of any kind.

In that first month in Blue D., and in the followings, up until she started her summer job, Sabrina was the lighter part of the daily life. She was always dancing around, hugging her Aunties (those hugs always met Hilda’s showers of kisses and caresses and Zelda’s rolls of eyes, except she always smiled when Sabrina turned around), waiting for Ambrose on the porch on Friday nights, when she was sure her cousin was coming home. And the house was always full of Sabrina’s friends as well: Roz, a smart, bright girl, Theo, sweet and shy, and Harvey, nerd Harvey, who spend his days drawing and was Sabrina’s boyfriend.

On Friday night, Hilda usually made pizza, Ambrose came back from University and Sabrina invited her friends over. The first time, Mary almost choked on her pizza: Zelda talked sports with Theo (first thing Mary knew about Zelda, or well, the second, after the languages obsession, was this: Zelda _loved_ contact sports), discussed books with Roz (and Mary joined immediately) but couldn’t stand Harvey and made nothing to hide it. She called Harvey – on the very few times she spoke to him - _Crayon_ , and when Mary asked why, she replied with a sweet smile: “Well, Mary, our Harvey, here, isn’t exactly the _brightest crayon in the box_ , isn’t it?”. Mary kind of expected Harvey to be offended, but he wasn’t, he just blinked at Sabrina: “I guess you’re smart for the both of us”

“I would say so, dear,” Zelda retorted, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. “Or do I have to remind you that Sabrina shares my genes?”

Mary was convinced Zelda actually _didn’t_ dislike Harvey, but she was just putting on a show.

After almost three weeks in Blue D., Mary still didn’t feel comfortable of going around outside the Spellman property. She just went twice to the grocery store with Hilda, where she met Lance Cee and Mrs. Meeks. Great impression on the first: Lance was sweet and kind, and Mary was positive he was fond of Hilda as well. The second impression was _terrible_. Mrs. Meek was terribly intruding, and she asked questions after questions after questions, driving Mary to such a point of frustration, she started to relax again just when, on the way home, she spotted Zelda’s silhouette, riding Lighthope in the ranch.

_Zelda._

Zelda was something else.

Her family was always scolding her about her bad temper: when Zelda didn’t like something, or someone, she made no mystery about it. Her complaining was constant: Ambrose’s bathrobes on Saturday night ( _Satan in Hell, Ambrose! You look like a bad cosplay of Dorian Gray at Gay Pride!_ ), Ambrose’s sitting manners ( _Please, Ambrose, I’m pretty sure Aunt Hilda taught you how to properly sit_ ), Sabrina’s taste in clothes ( _Honestly, Sabrina, a tartan skirt and Mary Janes? People know us, and I have a reputation_ ), Sabrina’s sweet kisses with Harvey on the porch on Saturday night ( _I wonder what will take for you to lose your virginity! What exactly are you doing, with it? I don’t understand why you refuse to live your life!_ ) and of course, Hilda. It was mostly Hilda, everything Hilda. Mary herself made acquaintance with Zelda’s bad temper in various occasions: Zelda mocked her designed clothes and her always perfectly styled hair, how she put on red lipstick every morning just to stay home, and of course, she mocked the vomiting and of course the cravings. She mocked everything about Mary, and even if she was sure Zelda always just _pretended_ to dislike her family, she was sure she didn’t like her.

Well, she didn’t like Zelda Spellman as well, thank you very much.

And yet.

And yet Zelda invited her to sit on the grass with her, while she studied. She just did her work and Mary read and tanned a bit, and Zelda is extremely attentive because she always knew when Mary was out of books and let her borrow others. She told Mary when she found something interesting in her books, even if their afternoons are mostly spent in silence.

Even with the stories, the afternoons and the books, Mary is convinced Zelda doesn’t like her. And yet, one afternoon Zelda got on her Jeep and drove to Vegas. She came back by dinner time while Hilda was cooking and Mary was reading the first book of the Cazalet Chronicles (Zelda’s property, of course) by the window. She dropped a bag on Mary’s lap and the brunette asked: “What’s this?”

“I know you need stuff,” Zelda shrugged.

Mary opened it: two pair of jeans. A few t-shirts. A cardigan. A pregnancy dress with two adorable footsteps printed on the belly. An iPhone charger. A nude lipstick.

“I don’t know what to say,” Mary commented.

“You needed new clothes. And if you insist on wearing lipstick here, you should at least drop the red, what do you think?”

“But you _don’t like_ me,” Mary said, and it was the most stupid thing to say. Zelda opened a beer and made a face: “Of course I do. I just have a bad temper; everybody tells me so. I mean, don’t you listen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! This is very far from my comfort zone and I want to know what you think. :)


	3. Two Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda sings, Hilda cooks, Sabrina loves. A dog is adopted, an Mary starts to feel like she may belong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Try to describe with words Miranda's singing voice.

**Chapter 2 – Two Months Pregnant**

Zelda took off her glasses and looked at her iPhone: two in the morning.

She had exaggerated again, staying up to study so late. She ran her hands over her face, closing her tired, red eyes. Then, she reached over for her bottle of water and took a sip. She really needed to get some sleep or the following morning she wouldn’t be able to get any work done.

She got up, stretching her back and her aching shoulders, cursing herself and her unsatiable thirst for knowledge.

Her window was open, the night warm, a light breeze playing with the trees. It was perfectly still and quiet, and so peaceful, and she actually loved that about Blue Diamond.

Suddenly, she heard a noise breaking the calm night: a few hiccups, a cry. Mary’s voice: “No… No... I can’t. _I can’t_ ,” followed by an unmistakable crying sound. Mary was crying?

Barefoot, she left her room, tiptoeing to Mary’s. She waited at the door, and the sounds coming from inside were pretty clear: she was having a nightmare, probably. She knocked: “Mary?” she whispered, but she already knew she won’t be heard. Sighing, she got into the room and closed the door behind herself.

Mary was lying on her back, moving convulsively, chocolate locks scattered on the pillow, the light fabric of the t-shirt she was wearing clung to her body, her neck and breastbones covered in sweat.

“No… No, I can’t,” she repeated again, and Zelda sat down on the bed, scratching Mary’s head comfortingly while shaking her shoulder: “Mary. Mary! Wake up, you’re having a nightmare.”

Mary stopped moving and blinked a few times in the dark room: “Wh- Zelda?” she called, confused.

“Yes, it’s me,” Zelda whispered, still stroking her hair. “You had a nightmare, I heard you crying.”

Mary sat up, clearly scared. She looked around, and broke down sobbing, covering her face with her hands.

“Mary, what’s wrong?” Zelda asked, moving her hand from the brunette’s head to her back.

“Zelda…” Mary cried, her voice broke by more hiccups. “I can’t, Zelda. I can’t do this.”

“You can’t do _what_?”

“The baby… I can’t, I can’t do it alone,” she sobbed, and turning, she hid her face in Zelda’s chest.

“Oh, Mary,” Zelda breathed, hugging her tightly and rocking her, stroking her back and whispering: “Come on, it’s okay. Don’t cry, everything is good, you’re not alone.”

“Yes, I am,” Mary sobbed in Zelda’s neck, wetting the redhead’s skin with her tears, gripping the fabric of Zelda’s sweatshirt in her fists.

“You are _not_ ,” Zelda repeated, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her back slightly to look into her blue, glistering eyes. “You are not alone. I get that we barely know each other, but I’m here with you. And my family as well. Okay? Come here,” and she hugged her close, stroking her hair and back like Hilda and she used to do with Sabrina and Ambrose when they were upset.

Mary cried in Zelda’s arms, hugging her tightly as well, and she was so heartbroken that Zelda shed a few tears herself. After what felt like an eternity, Mary broke the hug and Zelda passed her a tissue she fished in the pocket of her sweatshirt. “I have to admit, I don’t really know if it’s clean,” she whispered, and Mary laughed, a laugh full of tears. “I’m so messy I don’t really care… I wet your neck and your top.”

“No worries,” Zelda replied, smiling.

Mary blew her nose and dried her tears, then looked at Zelda with big, pleading eyes: “Zelda?” she whispered.

“Yes?”

“Will you stay with me for a while and tell me more about Achilles?”

Zelda smiled and got into the bed, arranging two pillows and laying back. She opened her arms to Mary: “Come here.”

Mary snuggled into Zelda’s arms, resting her head against the redhead’s collarbone. “I’m not even going to ask if this is okay because I’m sweaty and a mess and we’ve known each other for barely two months, and I know that’s _not_ okay.”

Zelda chuckled: “Stop rambling. You’re pregnant and scared and hormonal and I’m not going to have you crying in the dark alone.”

“So you have a bad temper but you’re not a bitch,” Mary mocked her, sniffling.

“How funny,” Zelda sighed. “I’ll tell you a bit about Achilles but remember me, tomorrow, I have a book for you, about that.”

Mary just hummed, and Zelda started talking softly.

Zelda woke up slowly, blinking her eyes a few times in the morning light. Birds were singing outside her- no. _That_ was definitely not her room. And – she looked down, and Mary was sleeping close to Zelda. Oh, okay. Now Zelda remembered. The nightmare, the bedtime story. She had fallen asleep in Mary’s bed. She was about to get out of bed when Mary opened her eyes.

“Morning,” Zelda smiled. She was about to ask Mary if she felt any better, but the brunette’s expression changed and she literally jumped out of bed, running to the bathroom, a hand covering her mouth.

_Morning sickness._

Zelda sighed and got up as well. She knocked at the bathroom’s door: “Mary? I’ll go make you some tea, okay?”

“Yes,” Mary replied, but then Zelda heard another gagging sound and went downstairs. She was kind of happy she wasn’t in Mary’s shoes.

“Morning, Zelds!” Hilda chirped from the kitchen, recognizing her sister’s footsteps down the stairs.

“Morning, Auntie Zee – why aren’t you dressed?”

“Shitty night,” Zelda sighed, maneuvering around Hilda to grab the kettle and filling it with water. “I was up studying until late, then Mary had a nightmare. She was extremely upset about it.”

“Oh, poor dear,” Hilda sighed. “Where is she, now?”

“Upstairs vomiting. I’m making her some tea.”

“I’m going to check on her!” Sabrina announced, and ran upstairs before Zelda could stop her.

Mary joined them, Sabrina trotting behind her, half an hour later, wearing a clean t-shirt and leggings, face washed, hair curled, wearing the lipstick Zelda had given her, like she did every morning.

“Oh, love,” Hilda sighed. “You don’t look good.”

“Pale as a corps,” Zelda shrugged, grabbing a mug and filling it with steaming hot water.

“Zelda!” Hilda scolded, but Mary, now used to Zelda’s attitude (when she wasn’t exceptionally hormonal) chuckled. “I’m okay,” she nodded. “I’ll need to set my stomach and then I can go to the store for you, Hilda.”

“Nonsense,” Zelda retorted, passing Mary her tea. “You’re going to stay here and rest. You don’t joke around with morning sickness.”

“And what do you know about that, Auntie Zee?” asked Sabrina, resting casually against Mary’s chair like she often did.

“I’ve been doing some reading, of course!” she explained, cutting some bread. “You two keep her in this godforsaken place, someone needs to know what’s happening to her body!”

“Why, thank you, Zelda,” Mary replied, voice weak but full of sarcasm. “I’m so happy to be here as well.”

Hilda and Sabrina laughed: up until a month before, Mary had been looking at Zelda suspiciously, bothered by her bad temper and her sarcastic comment. Without any specific reason: Zelda had been welcoming, to Mary, but her _ways_ didn’t exactly get along with pregnancy’s hormones.

Now, they got along perfectly, and they were constantly mocking each other.

“Cute the crap. You’ll thank me for this!”

“I’m sure I would,” Mary shrugged, but Zelda disappeared in the other room and came back carrying a book.

“This house looks like a library, with you two,” Sabrina sighed. Zelda threw the book at Mary, who readily caught it. “What’s this?”

“The book I’ve been telling you about,” Zelda explained. Mary looked at the cover. Madeline Miller: _Achilles’ Song._

“Oh, Zelda!”

“Don’t turn into a hormonal mess for a book, now, please. Anyway, this is the best book I’ve read about Iliads. Are you done with the Cazalet?”

“Just fifty pages left of the last one.”

Hilda passed behind her and caressed Mary’s shoulder: “How are you feeling, love?”

“Not so good.”

“Well, go back to bed and read. I’ll bring you another cup of tea shortly.”

“Thank you, Hilda,” Mary smiled, and got up, grabbing her unfinished tea and her book. Sabrina hugged her: “I’ll see you later, Mary!”

“Have a good day at school, sweetie. I’ll hopefully feel better this afternoon and I can help you with your math homework.”

“That would be great!” Sabrina grinned, and kissing both her Aunties, grabbed her bag and ran outside to get her bus.

* * *

Mary had been reading in bed for over three hours.

Hilda, always the problem solver, had brought upstairs a bed trail and a fresh cup of tea, and Mary was currently laying with her head at the bed’s feet, the fifth Cazalet Saga volume, done, resting on the floor, her nose buried into the first chapters of _Achilles’ Song_. Her stomach was finally better, and the book was already amazing.

The window was open, Blue D. silent and sleepy under the warm sun. The horses were calmly eating grass and snorting around the ranch, which was perfectly visible from Mary’s bed (not when she was buried in a book, of course.)

If she compared the days she spent in Blue D. with her life in Boston, Mary almost couldn’t believe it. In Boston, at seven thirty she was already at the office, latte in hand, documents on the desk. She worked until six, except for a short lunch break. When she was in condition of taking it, of course. Her life was filled with Zoom meetings, business drinks, neat buns and elegant suits. She had to watch what she ate, how many coffees she drank, how much wine she had at dinners. Her words were always measured, her voice the right volume, her laugh not too loud, her lipstick and her clothes not too sexy.

In Blue Diamond, she can do whatever she wanted. As simply as that. She woke up when she felt rested (or well, actually more when she needed to vomit), she ate whatever she was craving (Hilda’s cooking was to die for), she dressed casually (she still did her hair and a little bit of make-up), she spent her mornings reading or running small errands with Hilda. She usually spent her afternoons walking around or reading some more or watching Zelda study. Sometimes she helped Sabrina with her homework, and at night, before bed, they played board games or watched a movie or simply drank tea around the table and talked.

She was pretty used to the people of the village, by now: Mrs. Meeks and her rude questions, Lance Cee, the general store owner, who had just very recently started dating Hilda. Sabrina’s friends and their families: the Putnams and their farm, the Kinkles, the Walkers. Roz’s dad was actually the reverend of the little church, but Mary wasn’t exactly religious, and neither were the Spellmans.

Even if by now she was used to walk down the street replying to various _hellos_ , she much rather spent her days between the Inn and the ranch. She loved having tea with Hilda, studying or watching Netflix with Sabrina, playing chess with Ambrose on Sunday morning, when he was back from University, and mocking Zelda. And spending time on the blanket, reading and talking, with Zelda. And having a drink before dinner with Zelda – well, Zelda had a drink, she stuck with tea.

One of the many things she was loving about pregnancy.

She had spent almost two months in Blue Diamond, and for the first time in her life, with the Spellmans, she was beginning to feel like _she belonged._ They made her feel wanted, needed, _loved._ Sabrina and her hugs before school, Ambrose on Friday night, when he looked at his Aunts and smiled, saying “It’s so good to be home,” as he briefly squeezed Mary’s shoulder.

That particular morning, lying in bed reading her book, Mary sat up and fumbled with her hand, trying to reach for her mug without stopping reading. When she realized she wasn’t going to reach her goal without spilling hot lavender tea all over her comforter, she put the book down. She grabbed her mug, and reaching behind to massage her own neck, she let her gaze going down, to the green grass of the ranch. She spotted Zelda, brushing Lighthope’s hair. Mary got up and went to the window, leaning to smell the fresh air, her mug hot in her hands. In that moment, she heard a song.

Someone was singing.

_Crazy_

_I’m crazy for feeling so lonely_

_Crazy_

_I’m crazy for feeling so blue._

She looked around, trying to understand where that voice was coming from. It was – it was _magnificent._ It was _sweet_ \- a voice full of sweetness, dripping honey, modeling the music carefully and carelessly at the same time. Low, deep, high, loud, that voice possessed every key. Mary felt her throat tighten, like an imaginary hand grabbing it and squeezing.

_Worry_

_Why do I let myself worry?_

_Wondering_

_What in the world did I do?_

Mary’s eyes were full of tears and then, she realized it. It was the only possible explanation, and it was so heart-shattering that a part of Mary’s brain had refused to believe it: it was Zelda. Zelda was singing. _Zelda_ was singing _that way._ Zelda _could_ sing that way.

Mary liked her talking voice, of course. It was deep, slightly throaty, rather sexy, if she could say so. But that – _that_ – that was out of this world. It was pure magic.

Mary stayed still, looking outside the window, listening to Zelda sing, thrills after thrills rolling down her back, her tea getting cold in her hands.

* * *

One morning, Mary got downstairs in a rather good mood.

For once, she hadn’t woken up vomiting, and that alone was a very good reason to feel happy.

“Good morning!” she exclaimed, while her eyes met the same scene she witnessed every morning: Hilda, dress and apron, fretting around the stoves, tables full of breakfast goods.

Mary bent down and kissed the top of Sabrina’s head, muttering: “Good morning, dear.”

“Hey, Mary,” the girl replied, a big grin on her face.

“Morning, love,” hummed Hilda. “Are pancakes okay for you, this morning?”

“Oh gosh, yes! Thank you, Hilda!”

“Someone is in a good morning, this morning,” Zelda said, getting into the kitchen and leaving Mary speechless: she was wearing a knee-length, striped dress with long sleeves, which left her legs and the top or her back naked, a pair of white sneakers, car’s keys and iPhone in hand, hair up in a bun, red lipstick on point and a pair of leopard-print sunglasses on her nose. She grabbed the carry-on mug Hilda had gotten ready for her and shrugged: “Gotta go. See you later!” she exclaimed, and she left the kitchen again.

Hilda turned and noticed Mary’s gaze. She giggled: “What, love?”

“Where is Zelda going dressed _like that_ and with _those glasses_ at seven in the morning?”

“When you see her this elegant, wearing the leopard glasses, she is heading to Vegas to run some errands. For sure,” explained Hilda.

“Showing _that amount_ of skin?” Mary mumbled in her tea, but Sabrina and Hilda didn’t hear her, because the girl was commenting: “She’s probably passing by the coffee shop next to my school to have breakfast with Marie.”

“Who’s Marie?” Mary asked.

“You’ll met her in due time, I’m sure,” Hilda said, shooting a dirty look at Sabrina that thankfully Mary didn’t spot.

“It would have been nice to go to Vegas with Zelda,” Mary shrugged, and took a sip of her tea, dropping the subject.

Mary was in the ranch, letting Lighthope chew on an apple from her hand, when she heard the familiar sound of Zelda’s Jeep. She glanced at her elegant, Michael Kors wristwatch – it was pretty useless to still wear her Apple Watch to Blue D. - and saw that it was almost lunchtime. Zelda had taken her sweet time.

“Hey!” her voice shouted behind Mary’s back. The brunette turned, pretty much bothered by the whole situation without even getting _why_ , but every thought flew out of her head as soon as she saw Zelda. She had short hair. She had _cut_ her hair. That morning she had left with long, curly red hair and now she was sporting a long bob, cut about four fingers under her ears, curly, parted at the middle. The shorter locks curled around her face perfectly. She was _gorgeous._

“Zelda!” Mary called as Zelda walked across the grass to the brunette. “What happened to your hair?”

“I wanted a change,” Zelda replied, stopping in front of Mary. “Do you like it?”

Mary’s words died in her throat. Too occupied with Zelda’s beauty, she hadn’t noticed that the redhead was carrying something in her arms.

Well, _someone._

It was a puppy. A Bassett Hound, probably, with brown fur, long ears, and a pair of golden, sweet, intelligent eyes.

“Zelda…who is this?”

“This,” explained Zelda, raising the puppy close to her face in a picture so ridiculously adorable that Mary couldn’t help but giggle, “Is Vinegar Tom. I know the name sucks but that’s what they told me at the dogs’ shelter. I called him Vinnie T., in the car, and he likes that very much.”

Like he wanted to confirm Zelda’s words, Vinnie T. raised his little head and licked the cleft in Zelda’s chin, making the redhead giggle.

“He’s adorable,” Mary sighed, reaching out to scratch the dog’s little head. “I didn’t know you wanted a dog,” she said casually.

“Oh, he’s not mine,” Zelda replied, smiling at Mary. “He’s yours.”

“ _Mine?_ What? Zelda!” Mary babbled, looking at the redhead in her emerald eyes as she passed the puppy into the brunette’s arms. “Zelda, how can I look after him? My life in this moment is all over the place, and…”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Zelda cut in, grabbing Mary’s shoulders to stop the incoming panic. “It’s a dog, not a death’s sentence, Mary. Right now, you live in a place which is simply _perfect_ for a dog. And I – well, I wanted you to have _someone_. Maybe you’ll leave Blue D. after you’ll have your baby, maybe you’ll live here forever, who cares? He’s yours, he’s mine, he can be ours. Would it be so bad, having a dog with me?”

Mary sniffled: “No, it won’t,” she assured, smiling sweetly at Zelda.

That night, they watched a movie together.

The feeling of spending the night tucked on the couch, feet into fluffy socks, the fireplace gently crackling (it was warm during daytime, still a little chilly after sunset), someone making random comments about the movie, was probably the thing that took long to get used to, for Mary. She had heard stories like that – from her coworkers, always happier on Monday morning and ready to share stories about family weekends.

Except, _that_ was not Mary’s family. It couldn’t be, right? It was a family, but not hers. Because she just met them about two months before, and because Sabrina and Ambrose were adorable kids and yet they were not hers, Hilda was her friend and Zelda was… well, Zelda was _Zelda_.

Sabrina was laying on the carpet, Hilda was knitting on an armchair, and Mary was laying on the couch, Vinnie T. sleeping peacefully in her lap. Zelda was sitting on the carpet, against the sofa.

Mary reached out and ran her hand on Zelda’s head, thrusting her fingers in the short, red curls.

Zelda turned back and looked at Mary: “What?” she whispered.

“Nothing,” Mary shook her head. “I like your hair like this.”

* * *

Another vomiting-free morning.

While Mary should feel happy about this, she woke up with a feeling of anxiety going up and down her throat. As long as she wanted to, she couldn’t ignore life any longer.

That morning, when she woke up, she found ten more emails from her boss, asking where the hell she was, why wasn’t she answering her phone, and if she had dropped dead somewhere. She needed to phone him; she knew it. She didn’t want to, not yet. She got up and started fretting around the room, scavenging through her bags, looking for her planner. She knew the damn thing was somewhere, and she found it on the bottom of her purse. She browsed the pages – she would deal with her boss later, but she needed to check when she had arrived to Blue D. It was pretty much easy to get, considering the abruptic stop of her work scheduling and the notes of directions and places jotted down on the pages.

Yeah, just like she was thinking. It was about two months, and that meant she was, what? A little bit more than two months pregnant? And how exactly was she going to find a gynecologist in Vegas?

She paced for a bit around her room. What a mess. No baby deserved to be born in such a mess. She needed to get her shit together, and she had seven months to do so.

She should ask Zelda. She looked for something decent to wear, just in case, and yet she didn’t have anything in between the nice dress she was wearing when she first arrived in Blue D. and the leggings she wore around the Inn. She really needed to get herself some new clothes. She just grabbed the dress and locked herself in the bathroom.

She got downstair with her elegant dress, high heels, hair done and red lipstick, Vinnie T. running after her, finding Hilda cooking – of course – and Zelda and Sabrina curved on some papers.

“No, Sabrina, you completely messed up the verbs. _Again,_ ” Zelda complained, and Mary smiled: she was definitely looking over Sabrina’s French homework.

“Morning,” she smiled, entering the room, which was sunny and smelled deliciously of French Toast.

“Morning love- oh! Look at you!”

“Mary, you look gorgeous,” Sabrina beamed.

If Mary was expecting some compliments from Zelda as well, she was sadly mistaken.

“What in Satan’s name are you doing dressed _like that_?” the redhead asked, but looking at her from head to toes, nonetheless.

Mary would have replied with a snarky comment on how she had gone to Vegas half naked a few days prior, but the anxiety was making it nearly impossible. 

“Hey, hey, baby, how are you?” Zelda chirped, kneeling to pet Vinnie T. who was cheerfully wagging his tail at her. She picked up the puppy: “You wanted your other Mommy? Uh?”

Then, she realized something was off, and she locked eyes with Mary: “Tell me what’s wrong,” she said.

Mary shrugged: “I was wondering if you could call your gynecologist for me?”

Zelda’s eyes got even bigger: “Ultrasound?”

“Probably. But, well, I don’t—”

“I’ll take care of it,” Zelda stopped her, grabbed her iPhone from the counter and went out of the room.

Sabrina smiled comfortingly at Mary, and Hilda passed her a mug of tea: “Everything is going to be all right, love. Just sit down and have some breakfast. How are you feeling this morning?”

“Just really anxious.”

Zelda came back and hopped down on the chair next to Mary: “Eat your breakfast, then we’ll go. He’s waiting for us later that morning.”

“ _Already_?”

“Zelds always gets what she wants,” Hilda commented, as Sabrina, like every morning, showered the three women with kisses, and ran to school.

Mary started to eat – she was feeling rather nauseous, but she knew the empty stomach would make her feel even more anxious. She glanced at Zelda: “Are you coming with me?”

“If you want me to. Or I can just give you the address and you can go alone.”

Hilda shoot Zelda a scared look, but the redhead ignored her.

Mary nodded: “I want you to come. Please.”

“I can,” Zelda nodded, sipping her coffee and reading her newspaper, apparently without a single care in the world.

“I need to buy some clothes, as well.”

“So we’re going to meet the babe, then we’re having lunch, and then we can shop.”

Despite everything, Mary just smiled.

Zelda was driving with one hand on the steering wheel, the other outside the window, red locks dancing around because of the wind, leopard print glasses on her nose.

She was a sight to see, and Mary usually liked looking at Zelda, but this morning her anxiety won’t let her focus on anything else.

“Why so quiet?” Zelda asked at some point. “Anxiety?”

“Definitely,” Mary shrugged. “I’m sorry, I just… _everything_ is a mess.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Zelda told her, squeezing her shoulder. “Or, well, sometimes life figure itself out. After all, _kalepà tà kalà_.”

Mary turned to look at her: “What does it mean? That’s Greek, right?”

“It is. It means _beautiful things are difficult_. In the meanwhile – can I help, somehow?”

Mary sighed: Zelda _did_ help. In a lot of ways. She helped with her smile, with her sarcastic comments. She helped with the Greek quotes.

In that moment, the radio passed _Take me home, country road._

“Sing for me. Please?” she whispered, and she didn’t need to ask it twice.

_Country road, take me home_

_To the place I belong…_

Zelda’s voice was even prettier than what Mary remembered.

“I wonder if I will ever have a home.”

Zelda didn’t say anything back. She just reached out and dried one of Mary’s tears with her thumb.

* * *

“Hello, Zelda!” the gynecologist’s secretary smiled. “Is this Mary Wardwell?”

“I am,” Mary nodded.

“The doctor is waiting for you. Mrs. Wardwell.”

Mary _frowned_. “Ms. Ms., please.”

Zelda smiled at Mary: “I’ll wait for you here, okay?”

Mary stopped and glanced around, at the photos or smiling babies and beautiful, happy mommies expecting. She looked at Zelda: “Come with me. Please?”

Zelda reached for Mary and slung an arm around the brunette’s shoulders: “Let’s go.”

Mary tried to breath slowly and calmly. She was laying on the bed, her t-shirt tucked under her breasts as the doctor, a nice, sweet man in his sixties, did the ultrasound.

“And…here we go,” he smiled, pointing to a blurred spot on the screen.

_Oh my God._

She looked at the screen. “That’s – that’s my baby?” Mary asked, voice full of tears.

“Would you like to hear the heartbeat?”

“Yes, please!”

The doctor turned the machine on, and a steady, comforting, _amazing_ sound filled the room.

The tears ran down her face, and Mary felt a lithe hand caressing her hair.

“Mary…your baby,” whispered Zelda, voice a concert of emotions, as she bent down to kiss Mary’s forehead and the line of her hair.

What a mess she had created, she thought again, but for some reason, she couldn’t stop smiling.

“You feeling better, now?” Zelda asked, blinking at Mary.

Well, if she wasn’t, she definitely looked better. She was wearing sunglasses, her stomach was full, and she was nursing in her hand a fruity, alcohol free cocktail.

“I do,” she nodded, smiling happily at Zelda. “Zelda… thank you. For everything. _Thank you._ ”

“I didn’t do anything special,” Zelda shrugged. “I just want you to be happy.”

Mary looked at her through her glasses: “I know you deserve it. I know, okay?”

Zelda made a face: “I’m not sure I’m following you, Mary.”

“You deserve to know the truth. You do. You hold me when I have nightmares, you drive me to the doctor, you get me clothes and books, you sing for me, you got me Vinnie T.,” she grinned, and Zelda blinked at her, rather flirtatiously. “I know you deserve to know what happened, but I’m not ready. Okay?”

Zelda lowered her sunglasses and her emerald eyes shone in the sunshine. “I’m not in any hurry,” she shrugged. “The thing is… If you want to tell me, I want to know. But I’m not asking you for anything and you are appreciated for how you are and for what you share with me. You don’t owe us anything, you don’t owe _me_ anything.”

Mary reached out and impulsively threw her arms around Zelda’s neck, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you. _Thank you._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writing in this really sucks and I sincerely apologize. Hope you enjoyed anyway!


	4. Three Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Zelda indulge in a rare breakfast alone, which is ruined by Marie LaFleur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First: Zelda's IG username, Marie's comment and Mary's thought (Clichè but effective) are curtesy of Lilithfeminaprima, with many thank yous ♡
> 
> Second: I've been asked loudly from tons of people so I made a Instagram fanfiction/fandom account, it's called madamnovelist - come say hello and most of all, if some of you have ideas about my current stories or something new, well, I can't wait to hear it all!
> 
> This chapter is...well, it's what it is.

**Chapter 3 - Three Months Pregnant**

It happened when Mary entered the third months.

She had been pacing the back yard all afternoon, avoiding both Hilda’s chats and her usual afternoon plans with Zelda. The sisters kept their distance, sometimes spying on her from inside – in Hilda’s case – or the other side of the ranch – in Zelda’s.

Mary spent the afternoon trying to gain up the courage, and at some point, she breathed deeply and dialed her boss’ number.

It was a quick, dirty affair. He yelled at her, calling her deceitful, accusing her to have planned this for months, to have left them in the mud. Mary remained silent, while his shouts fill her ears. She wanted to explain herself, to told him what really happened, but she didn’t have the strength to do so, nor she saw the reason to. That part of her life was over, but at the end of the day, she had known it when she had jumped on her car and drove away without a word. That part of her life was over, and she just needed to make her peace with it.

With tears streaming down her face, she said: “Well, I wanted to tell you that I’m quitting,” and he shouted back that she wasn’t quitting, she was _fired_.

Mary closed the iPhone. She kind of expect to feel better, to feel relieved, but instead, she just felt pain. She started crying, sliding down, sitting in the grass, leaving the phone on the ground next to her, hiccups breaking her breath, tears pouring down her eyes. She sobbed loudly, and in the blink of an eyes Vinnie T. came running to her, wailing as he licked her hands. Zelda was close behind – she didn’t say anything, she just sat down next to Mary, taking her in her arms like she had done the night of the nightmare, and rocked her, whispering sweet nothings.

“Zelda,” Mary sobbed, holding onto her for dear life. “I’m – I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know why you keep apologizing,” Zelda whispered back, caressing her hair.

“I’m not weak,” Mary said. And then, “I’m not,” she repeated, as it was important that Zelda understood that.

“I know you aren’t,” the redhead just breathed.

It took Mary ten minutes to calm down, to break their hug and to sit facing Zelda.

The redhead positioned her, crossing her legs as she lit a cigarette. “Tell me if the smoke gets to you,” she remined the brunette softly.

“It’s Adam’s,” she told her, no foreplay, no background story. “The baby, I mean.”

She needed to jump in, in order to explain it all to Zelda.

“Adam is a colleague of mine. A nice man, you know? Sweet. Polite. He used to hit on me all the time, asking me out on dates, telling me how good I looked, how good I was at my job. I always said no,” she took a brief pause to smile at Zelda, who was silent, eyes focused on her. “I said no because I didn’t want any distraction from work and because I simply wasn’t into him. Until one night – it’s a ridiculous story, really. We had a shitty day, I lost one important client and that night I was a wreak. He went to me, we drank in my office and had sex.”

She grimaced at the memory, and Zelda, still silent, took one of her hands and squeezed it.

“This is so out of character. I mean, it’s not me. I’ve never – I don’t sleep with random people. I’ve never done anything of the sort. When I sobered up, I made it clear that it had been just a moment, but of course I got pregnant. When I found out… I don’t know, Zelda, but it was months, you know? Months of feeling like my life wasn’t my own. Working ten hours per day doing a job I wasn’t passionate about, not having… _anything_ , not wanting anything. I didn’t even like the person I was anymore. When I discovered I was pregnant it was too much, and I just… hopped on the car and ran away.”

Even then, Zelda didn’t say anything. She just took Mary’s hand again and kissed the back of it. “Thank you for telling me,” she whispered after a while. “I know it wasn’t easy. This… Adam doesn’t know? About the baby.”

Mary shook her head: “No. I’m too much of a coward to tell him.” She sighed. “I’m a mess, Zelda,” she stated. “I’m just a terrible mess, and my life is a mess, and I’m bringing my baby into this mess.”

Mary ended her rambling speech and breathed deeply. Then, she raised her head to look at Zelda, expecting her to comment, to scold, to say something at all. But - “ _Everything is gonna be all right_ ,” Zelda sang, and Mary, despite everything, laughed.

* * *

Mary woke up in her room full of sunshine, like every morning for the past three months. She hummed, snuggling deeply under her blanket, smiling without opening her eyes. She reached out with a foot, looking for Vinnie T., before realizing he was sleeping in Zelda’s bedroom.

It was a thing, by now: he slept for a few days with Zelda, and for a few with Mary. They picked up the habit of leaving their doors open so he could come back and forth between the rooms as he pleased. It was uncommon, between the two room, when Zelda was studying and Mary reading, to hear one of the two call out: “Is the baby with you?”

Eyes still closed, she imagined Zelda snuggling in her bed with their dog. She pictured her room with the violet wall behind her bed, the bookcases full of books, the desk under the window with the Greek dictionary always opened. The picture of baby Sabrina, smiling teethless, the poster of herself riding Lighthope, the candles on the mantel.

She pictured Zelda in her bed, her red locks on the pillow, the slight cleft in her chin. The little hum she did when she was about to fall asleep. She had heard it the night they had fallen asleep together in her bed, and sometimes the little sound rang in her head, familiar to her like everything about Zelda.

She pictured Zelda’s perfect breasts, going up and down at the rhythm of her breathing.

She feels so grateful for Zelda, for having her, someone to lean on.

Mary opened her eyes, stretching and picking up her iPhone. It was five minutes past seven and she opened her gallery. Having cleared the air with her boss, even considering how badly it had gone, made possible indulging in some social media laziness. Why not to post some new pictures on Instagram?

She went through a few pictures of Vinnie T., one of herself in front of the Vegas sign, a selfie with Hilda and Sabrina in the kitchen, a couple with Zelda. In the first, they were standing in front of the Vegas sign, sunglasses on, arms around each other. Well, actually Mary had her arms around Zelda’s waist and Zelda had one around Mary’s shoulders and the other one stuck out. Always the showoff.

It had felt wonderful, holding Zelda under the sun, relaxed after her ultrasound.

In the other picture, they were in the grass behind the Inn, Mary sitting on the grass, Vinnie T. in her arms, Zelda laying down next to them with her head on Mary’s thigh, big grins on their faces.

She opened the Instagram App and posted the one with their puppy in her stories, and she opened her notifications as her phone blew up with private messages asking her how was she, what the hell was she doing in Vegas and most of all, who was the hot redhead snuggling with her under the sun.

Her follow requests made her smile: a _sabrinaspellman_ – she accepted and followed back immediately, spamming with likes Sabrina’s pictures – and a _residentbitchofblued_. She smiled brightly, checking what was without any doubt Zelda’s account. She went through her photos, leaving random likes, until she came to her last update, Zelda with her new bob. The picture was black and white, showing Zelda’s profile, hair half-covering her face. She was breathtaking. Under the picture, Mary spotted a comment, left by a _madamlafleur_ : _Tu es magnifique, ma Cherie._ With a blue heart for good measure. Cliché, but effective.

What the actual fuck?

Mary sat up crossing her legs, hands sweating, checking that Madam Flower or whatever account. She was a stunningly beautiful dark-skinned girl, probably five, ten years younger than Mary herself. She snorted, annoyed. _Damn hormones._

In that moment, the phone in her hands went off with a private Instagram message.

[residentbitchofblued]

Up and not vomiting?

[ladyw]

Yup! Feel lucky today.

[residentbitchofblued]

How did u sleep?

[ladyw]

Sooooo good! U?

[residentbitchofblued]

Same. Can I come? To ur room?

[ladyw]

Sure!!!

Mary patted her hair, adjusted her t-shirt and covered her bare thighs with the blanket just before she heard Zelda’s bare foot on the parquet and a soft knock at her door.

“Hey? May I come in?”

“Morning,” she smiled. “Of course you can.”

Zelda was wearing a grey crop top, a pair of hotpants and a silk black robe, her hair up in a messy bun, and the effect was really, _really_ good to look at. Mary took just a moment to let her eyes slide down Zelda’s long, naked legs before forcing herself to smile at the redhead.

“You can sit, if you want.”

Zelda hopped on the bed and after a couple of seconds Vinnie T. joined, barking at Mary, who picked him up and petted him: “Hello, baby, how are you this morning?”

The puppy barked again and licked her face, while Mary made funny faces, Zelda laughing throatily.

“The baby is ok?” Zelda asked, eyeing Mary still perfectly flat stomach, referring to the _other_ baby.

“Yes,” Mary nodded, blushing deeply. She blushed every time they mentioned the baby, her eyes fluttering close, and she looked even more beautiful. “I just can’t wait until it moves.”

“I’ve read it’s the size of a Blueberry,” Zelda told her, still looking at Mary’s stomach. “And it’s growing teeth and nails.”

Mary grinned widely, showing white perfect teeth, her eyes a deeper blue. “What did you say the other day? About beautiful things being difficult?”

“ _Kalepà tà kalà_ ,” Zelda breathed, and squeezed Mary’s hand. “But before you distracted me with adorable baby talking, I’ve meant to ask if you wanted to go out for breakfast.”

Mary’s face lit up like a child’s on Christmas Morning. “Seriously? In Vegas?”

“No, at the general store. It’s not fancy like Vegas but the garden in the back is nice and I think you’ll like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Mary confirmed, smiling again.

They took a shower and got dressed in jeans and nice tops, even if Mary spent a little extra-time in doing her make-up, which earned her a smirk and a “You look nice” from Zelda.

Hilda and Sabrina were downstairs, chatting happily at the breakfast table.

“Oh, here you are!” Hilda smiled, while Sabrina raised her face to get kisses from both Zelda and Mary.

“I made French Toasts,” Hilda said, but Zelda shook her head: “Mary and I are going to Dr. Cee’s for breakfast, if you don’t mind.”

Hilda’s eyes sparkled: “No, of course not, love. It’s a great idea.”

“Do you want to come?” Mary proposed as Zelda put the leash on Vinnie T.

“Oh, no, sweetheart, thank you,” Hilda shook her head. “I’ve got tons of things to do. You girls enjoy your morning off, okay?”

Mary and Zelda started their journey to the grocery shop, walking as they breathed deeply in the morning fresh air, Mary’s eyes embracing the glory of the landscape, Vinnie T. scampering next to them.

“It’s great, isn’t it?” Zelda asked, guessing what Mary found so fascinating.

“It is,” the brunette nodded, speaking softly, lacing her arm absently through Zelda’s. “You know, sometimes it feels like I’ve been here forever.”

“Well, it’s been three months already. Which can be nothing but can also be forever,” Zelda considered, and Mary smiled: “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant. Boston is so far away. And I’m kind of dreading the moment in which I’ll have to come back.”

Zelda’s head snapped in Mary’s direction. “ _Back_? To Boston?”

Mary shrugged. “Not now, of course, not until the baby is born but yes. Sometimes.”

Zelda didn’t say anything, she just kept walking.

They reached the general store and went inside, taking their time in greeting Dr. Cee and of course Mrs. Meeks, who sometimes could have been mistaken for the shop’s furniture.

“Morning, Mrs. Meeks,” Mary smiled, and Zelda beamed at how polite and sweet she always was to everyone, while she wanted to break necks’ bones most of the time.

“Oh, good morning, Mary,” Mrs. Meeks replied, looking at the two of them and at their dog. “Look at you two, always attached at the hip.”

“You say that every time you see us, which is every day,” Zelda commented tight-lipped, trying to hide her extreme annoyance behind a smile.

“That’s because you are together every day,” retorted Mrs. Meeks, and Mary laughed nervously, pushing Zelda in the garden’s direction. “We’ll take a table in the garden, if that’s okay, Lance?”

“Of course, Mary, sweetie. I’ll be right back!”

Zelda, already forgetting her quarrel with Mrs. Meeks, chuckled at how everybody in Blue D. called Mary _sweetie_ or _love_. People in Blue D. have always been welcoming, but Mary had becoming part of the community quicker than everyone else, and that was only because of her sweet, charming, kind nature.

They took place at a secluded table, Mary half in the sun, raising her face toward the sky, humming at the sun scaled her skin.

“What a nice day,” she breathed.

Zelda’s eyes trailed down Mary’s neck to her freckled collarbone. She gulped and immediately busied herself with her bag, looking for her pack of cigarettes. She is about to speak up when Mary raised her hand: “I know. I’ll tell you if the smoke gets to me, don’t worry.”

“How do you know I was about to say that?”

“Because you always says that to me when you light a cigarette, which is _often_ ,” she explained, removing her face from the sun and blinking a few times to put Zelda’s delicious face into focus.

“Yes, but you weren’t even looking at me.”

Mary shrugged and smiled at Zelda.

Lance came, interrupting their conversation. He took their orders and spent a few minutes outside with them, talking about Hilda, or making random comments about the town in general. When he went back inside, Mary and Zelda started a frantic conversation about which show they should start on Netflix.

Zelda is about to launch herself into a speech in favor of _Homeland_ , where a voice behind her interrupted them: “Well, well, well. Look who’s here. _Bonjour, ma Cherie._ ”

Mary’s eyes grew wide at the sight in front of her: it was _her_! The French Flower, or something like that. Wearing a long, silky yellow skirt with a white lace corset, she looked like a goddess and she was unmistakably undressing Zelda with her eyes.

Mary thought of herself – her thin frame, her boobs, probably too big for her torso, her frizzy hair, her freckled skin. And in a few weeks, well, she wouldn’t have curves anymore, she would just be fat.

“Marie!” Zelda smiled, getting up to greet the other woman. They hugged briefly, but Marie – _how funny, the same name_ – gently slide a lock of silky hair between two fingers and, dark eyes practically melting into Zelda’s, she murmured: “You look exquisite, _Cherie_. This hair fits you.”

Zelda giggled – Mary couldn’t believe her ears, she giggled, now? - and asked: “What are you doing here?”

“Getting some supplies from Dr. Cee. And who is this charming lady?” Marie asked, her eyes moving on Mary.

“Mary Wardwell,” the brunette said, smiling politely and shaking the other woman’s hand.

“She’s my friend from Boston,” Zelda explained, grazing Mary’s arm with her fingertips. “And this is our puppy, Vinnie T.,” she added, stroking gently the puppy’s head, napping in Mary’s lap. “Always attached to his Mommy.”

“A dog together?” Marie commented, raising an eyebrow. Zelda shrugged and sat down again, gesturing toward an empty chair to Marie: “Sit, if you have time.”

Of course, Marie obliged, and Mary bit back a snort. What was supposed to be a nice morning outside with Zelda turned to be having to watch Marie making sweet eyes at Zelda, calling her _Cherie_ over and over, touching her arm or her shoulder or her cheek every time she spoke to her, which was _very frequently._

Dr. Cee came with their orders, and Mary thanked God to have something to keep herself occupied. She was feeling nauseated, but she needed to get some food into herself. She started eating, very slowly, feeling grumpier than ever without actually understanding _what_ was annoying her that much.

“Are you here on vacation, Mary, _oui_?” Marie asked, and Mary snapped out of her thoughts and realized she had been asked a question: “Oh, no. not exactly a vacation – I’m taking a sort of a sabbatical moment, I needed to… decompress, for a while.”

Out of courtesy, she asked a question herself: “How long have you known each other?”

Zelda immediately blushed, and Marie blinked at her before looking at Mary: “A few years. We met when I first moved here from France and we started dating.”

_Why the fuck did I ask?_

Zelda blushed immediately and diverted her eyes.

Scenes of Zelda and Marie filled Mary’s mind, perfectly white skin against chocolate one. She felt a wave of nausea and she just knew it wasn’t morning sickness.

“And why did you two break up?” she asked, and even if Zelda shoot her a dirty look, she kept her eyes on Marie.

The French woman laughed and got up: “Why don’t you tell her, Zelda, _Cherie_? I have to head to Vegas, I’m quite late.” She turned to Mary: “It was nice to meet you,” she said, before bending to kiss Zelda’s cheek, a little too close to her mouth for Mary’s taste.

“Bye, Marie,” Zelda smiled, still blushing, and in the blink of an eye, they were alone again.

“What’s up?” Zelda asked, chewing happily on some bacon. “Your bagel isn’t good?”

“No, no, of course it is,” Mary assured, and forced herself to bite on her bagel, even if her good mood was definitely ruined.

They walked back home in total silence, and Zelda didn’t dare asking Mary what was wrong. She attempted to make conversation but when the only answers she got were vague murmurs or curt _yeses_ and _nos_ , she dropped it.

They got home and she made herself another coffee, trying to focus on what she had to do that morning, while Mary sat at the table, exchanging smiles with Hilda.

“Do want some tea, love? How’s your nausea?”

“I’m fine, Hilda, thank you,” Mary smiled, and Hilda looked at Zelda: “Zelds, where are your manners? Put the kettle on and make Mary some tea!”

Mary stood up quickly: “There’s no need, I can make myself some,” she told Zelda curtly.

“Suit yourself,” Zelda shrugged. “Do you want to come to the ranch with me? Bring your book?”

“No, I need to help Hilda.”

Zelda shrugged again and took the back door without another word, mumbling something about _damn pregnancy hormones._

Hilda couldn’t help but smirk. It looked like Zelda had finally found her match. She watched Mary making the tea, wondering how to approach the obvious pink elephant in the room.

“You want some, Hilda?” Mary asked, her voice back to its usual, sweet self.

“Thank you, love, that would be marvelous.”

Mary got everything ready and when she sat down in front of Hilda, the blonde dared to ask: “What happened, sweetheart?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, in the last weeks you and Zelda had spent days and nights together, and this morning you left for breakfast in a marvelous mood, making sweet eyes at each other.”

“ _Excuse me_? I don’t make sweet eyes at no one, let alone at Zelda of all people!” Mary snapped. She was kind of expecting the blonde to feel offended, but she just smirked a bit more: “Of course, love. Whatever you want.”

Mary sighed and took a sip of her tea. Hilda, thankfully, wisely, dropped the subject and moved the conversation to business. But of course, her suspects had just been proved.

Mary stayed in her room and skipped lunch, claiming a bad headache. After lunch, she heard some steps on the stairs and she laid down, pretending to be asleep so she didn’t have to talk to Hilda and tell her what was wrong.

Hilda knocked gently and she stayed silent until she heard the door opening and someone stepping into the room. More noises, probably a tray left on her nightstand. She felt a soft hand on her face, removing her glasses and then briefly caressing her hair. The scent that fille her nostrils was unmistakable.

It wasn’t Hilda. It was Zelda.

Mary appeared again downstair when Sabrina came back from school. She kissed and hugged the girl and agreed immediately when Sabrina, with pleading sweet eyes, asked her for help with her math homework.

They sat down at the kitchen table and in a few minutes, Hilda brought them tea – of course – and some brownies. Mary gave her a smile and thanked her sweetly.

The brunette was explaining to Sabrina quadratic equations when the back door sprung open and Vinnie T. run inside, followed by Zelda.

“Auntie Zee!” Sabrina beamed, the equations already forgotten. Zelda came to the table and pressed a kiss on her niece’s blonde head. “Hi, darling,” she greeted, completely ignoring Mary and her bad mood.

Zelda walked to the fridge and got herself a beer, Sabrina immediately engaging her in conversation.

“I met Marie this afternoon, Auntie Zee,” she told, and as soon as Marie’s name was spoken, Hilda noticed Mary’s back tensing. “She told me you and Mary met her at Dr. Cee’s, this morning?”

 _Oh, so that’s the problem_ , Hilda thought. Of course it was. It was obvious, wasn’t it? She had noticed the looks, the touches, the jokes.

“Oh, you did? How did you like Marie, sweetheart?” she asked, looking at Mary.

The brunette finally raised her eyes from Sabrina’s book and followed Zelda’s whereabouts around the kitchen. “She is really pretty,” she nodded. “The two of you make a wonderful couple, don’t you think, Zelda?”

The reaction was immediate and from two sides: Zelda looked at her as she was crazy and spatted: “ _What_?!”

Sabrina made a face and asked: “A nice couple? Auntie Zee, didn’t you two break up because she fell in love with you and you didn’t?”

Zelda looked at Sabrina, puzzled: “How do you know this?” and the girl grinned: “I know everything.”

“Well, clearly Marie doesn’t,” Mary shrugged and got up. “I’ll go take a shower if it’s all right with you. We can finish this later,” she told Sabrina.

“Why don’t you make it a nice bath, love?” Hilda suggested. “In yours and Zelda’s bathroom you can find some bubble baths, I put them there for you.”

Hilda called the first-floor bathroom like that, _yours and Zelda’s._ Mary usually smiled at that, but not that night. She nodded at Hilda, thanked her, and eclipsed herself upstairs.

Of course, as soon as Mary was reasonably far, Hilda looked at her sister: “Zelds, love, what happened this morning with Marie?”

“For Hell’s sake, Hildegard, nothing happened! What’s up with you and Mary today?” she groaned, her bad attitude emerging. “We were having breakfast and she appeared, I introduced them and she sat with us for a little bit. That’s all.”

“And Mary was upset when she left?” Hilda asked, and Sabrina busted in: “And Marie was all _Oui Cherie, tu es magnifique, Cherie, voulez-vous coucher avec moi?_ ” she said, clearly mocking Marie and throwing together the only two sentences she knew in French. Hilda roared with laughs, and Zelda shouted: “What’s with all this nonsense, today?” but as soon as she said it, a different look appeared on her face. “Oh, crap,” she whispered. “Do you think she –”

“Well,” Hilda shrugged. “It was a little obvious, wasn’t it, sweetheart?”

Zelda fell down on a stool and took a sip of her beer. “ _Oh_ ,” she just said.

“You like her, don’t you, Auntie Zee?” Sabrina grinned. “It would be so sweet, the two of you would be perfect together!”

“Sabrina, hold your horses,” Zelda groaned. “I’ve just known her for a couple of months, she is in a peculiar situation and guess what? She conceived a baby with _a man._ ”

“So?” Sabrina shrugged, getting up to retrieve a soda from the fridge and opening the cupboard for a straw. “You’ve dated men, in the past. One thing doesn’t rule out the other.”

Zelda got up and Hilda smiled: “Are you going to talk to her?”

“No, Hilda, I’m going upstairs to change,” Zelda groaned and marched upstairs.

As soon as she reached the floor, Mary got out of the bathroom, hair pinned up messily, wearing _just a white towel_.

Zelda gulped, looking at the droplets of water peppering her freckled collarbone and her long, tanned legs.

Their eyes locked and Mary murmured: “I – I forgot to bring clothes with me.”

Zelda didn’t say anything, she just stared. Mary was _magnificent_ and Zelda just wanted to rip that towel off her body.

She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. Despite the situation and the anger she was still feeling, Mary smirked: “Do close your mouth, dear, or a fly will get in.”

The sentence was all Zelda needed to snap out of a fantasy involving herself licking the droplets off the top of Mary’s breasts, and looked at her sternly: “Would you tell me why you’ve acted like a brat all day?”

“I beg your pardon? _A brat_?” Mary snapped, straightening her shoulders and looking at her fiercely. “I didn’t act like a brat!”

“Your mood changed as soon as we met Marie and you ignored me all day.”

“I didn’t _ignore_ you,” Mary groaned. “I had stuff to do. You can’t expect me to walk behind you all day!”  
“I don’t expect that,” Zelda retorted, looking at her like she was crazy. “I just expect you to be honest with me.”

“Honest about what? Zelda, I’m naked in the middle of the hall, tell me what’s the problem so I can go put some clothes on!”

“Honest about the fact that you were jealous of Marie, this morning,” Zelda stated, coming clean.

Mary’s eyes grew wider and she unconsciously held her towel closer to her torso. “I am not jealous!” “You are. You were annoyed because Marie was hitting on me in front of you.”

She took a step closer and put a gentle hand on her naked shoulder. “Just admit it.”

“I have nothing to admit!” Mary hissed, taking a step back. “I don’t know you and I don’t care who you fuck!”

“Oh, seriously? You don’t know me? I drove you to your ultrasound, I held your hand while you listened to your baby’s heartbeat for the first time, and now you don’t know me? We own a dog together!”

Her voice was full of sorrow but her back stayed straight.

“And now what? You did all of that so now you demand something back?”

“I did all of that because I wanted to be there for you, I wanted you to have someone. And I don’t want anything back, I just expect you to be honest with me! And if Marie annoyed you in any way, I expect you to just tell me instead of locking yourself in your room and refusing to acknowledge my existence!”

Mary started crying, and Zelda sighed and reached out to hug her. Mary fell apart in her arms, hiding her face in her neck and holding on to her.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed in Zelda’s arms, and Zelda held and stroked and comforted like every time Mary had needed her to in those months.

“It’s okay,” Zelda assured her, and Mary leaned back a little to look into her eyes: “Yes, I was jealous,” she finally confessed. “Because Marie looked so confident and so pretty and I am in a mess and in a few weeks I’ll be a whale.”

“Oh, _Mary_ ,” Zelda just sighed, and caressed her face comfortingly. “You are not a mess, you just went through a lot. And you won’t be a whale, you’re just expecting a baby.”

“But –”

“No buts,” Zelda whispered, and swept her thumb across Mary’s lips. “You’re expecting a baby, you’re not a mess and you’re beautiful, and that’s final. Besides – yes, Marie uses every chance she gets to hit on me, but I’m not interested.”

Her hand dived in Mary’s curls and emerald eyes found blue ones. Her thumbs caressed Mary’s lips again and the brunette sighed and closed her eyes. “Zelda,” she murmured. “ _Zelda_ —”

Zelda closed her eyes as well as every fiber of her body was screaming at her to kiss Mary, to caress her mouth with her tongue, to drink from her kisses the sweetness of everything _hers_.

She inched closer but when she was about to press her lips to Mary’s, the brunette’s eyes snapped open and she jumped back.

The spell was broken: Zelda opened her eyes, feeling humiliated and rejected. She tried to ask: “What—” but Mary shook her head and took a step back, fear loud in every feature of her face: “Zelda, I – I’m sorry, I can’t,” and she ran, locking herself in her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry not sorry, how was it? Too soon? Right? I took a different path from what I initially wanted so tell me how it's working! See you next time ♡


	5. Four Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary realizes something good and big, a baby bump appears, and Hilda has a birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, some quick things:  
> \- the lavender macaroons are a genius, genius idea by my lovely friend Dark Girl, and I've stolen it from her "Matter of Trust."  
> \- some of the songs they dance to at the party were suggested by my sent-by-God friend LaMarwy, and the Gone with the Wind bits are for her, as well, as a little thank you♡ (yup, Jules, I'm just lovely like this.)  
> enjoy the chapter and - happy early birthday, Lou! you got your present early.

**Chapter 4 – Four Months Pregnant**

Zelda didn’t speak to Mary for three weeks.

It took Mary less to let go of her anger and wanting to go back to their usual routine.

She spent the first night awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying Zelda holding her close, and leaning in for a kiss. A kiss she desperately wished had happened. But how could she? She was a living disaster and she was constantly worried about how it would be like to raise a baby like that, feeling rootless, feeling so unbalanced. Even her presence in Blue D., as much as she enjoyed living there, was temporary: what was she going to do? Raise a kid in the room next to Zelda’s, helping Hilda with the Inn’s financials, strolling around barefoot? Okay, she had enough money, for now, but she couldn’t go on like this forever.

She was not going to add another chaotic thing to the already endless list. It wasn’t because of Zelda – Zelda was… well, Zelda was everything Mary could have wanted in that moment in time, and Mary was definitely attracted to her. Smitten, probably. She loved spending time with Zelda, sharing the complicate journey of her pregnancy with her, every little bit of their domestic habits. She loved everything Zelda had done for her and was so used to her, to their time together, and she treasured every afternoon, every breakfast together.

She had been confused and skittish for a little more than two days, then she had started going back to her usual self, lounging around Zelda with her book, joining her while she was attending the horses’ needs and trying to engage her in small talks. Zelda was polite and even if from outside nothing had changed, everything had. She stopped sitting on the carpet and putting her head on Mary’s knees while she sat on the couch. She stopped asking Mary to go outside with her, she stopped telling Mary little bits of Ancient Greek’s culture she got while studying. She stopped popping out in her room first thing in the morning, going with her for a walk with Vinnie T.

Mary wanted to talk to her, to ask for forgiveness, to implore her to bring things back to how they were, but she was a coward. So, she actually tried another way.

Thankfully, Amazon worked in Blue D. as well (even if Mary originally had her doubts) and she even succeeded in being the one to meet the delivery guy at the door and sneak the little package upstairs unnoticed. She removed the brand-new book from the paper box and managed to wrap it more decently. She felt a thrill of excitement, imagining Zelda’s face when she would spot the book – she had had it on her wish list for weeks.

Mary made her move that afternoon: Zelda was sitting on the back porch’s swing (a recent addiction of the Inn, strongly wanted by Sabrina, which had required a great quantity of puppy eyes in her Aunties’ direction, but of course, it turned out Zelda was the one using it the most, claiming the swing as her favorite studying spot), legs crossed, barefoot, white legs on display, reading glasses with her red curls twisted on top of her head. She looked painfully adorable, and Mary regretted her messy life and that not given kiss more than ever.

She walked to her, Vinnie T. trotting around her ankles, announcing their presence to Zelda. The puppy jumped on the swing and licked Zelda’s hand furiously.

“Hey, you,” she grinned, but still refusing to acknowledge Mary’s presence.

“Hello,” Mary smiled, the golden package held to her breasts nervously. “What are you reading?”

Zelda held the book up, and Mary read _The Oedipus Cycle by Sophocles._

“Ancient Greek tragedy,” Zelda rectified. “It’s a myth.”

“Is it good?”

The redhead nodded: “Yes. Very.”

Mary took the courage to sit next to her: “Will you tell me about it?” she asked. “My life isn’t the same without the Greek tales.”

Zelda shrugged: “Sometimes. I want to finish reading this, first,” she replied, completely ignoring Mary’s attempt at humor.

The brunette nodded and Zelda finally noticed the little package: “What’s that?” she asked, and Mary handled it to her: “It’s for you,” she simply said.

Zelda didn’t smile, didn’t burst with excitement as Mary had expect. She just raised an eyebrow: “Why would you buy me something?” she asked, completely crowding Mary out.

“Just open it up,” she suggested, voice catching in her throat. She felt like crying. She wanted to cry but she wasn’t going to do so in front of Zelda.

The redhead teared the paper apart and _Circe by Madeleine Miller_ fell on her lap. She didn’t say anything, and Mary commented: “I knew you wanted it…”

“I did,” Zelda nodded, biting down on her bottom lip, then she finally looked at Mary: “But…why?”

“You’re always buying and letting me borrow things…” she shrugged, pointing to the white top she was wearing. It was Zelda’s: Mary’s tops actually felt a little too tight. “I wanted to do something nice for you.”

Slowly, finally, Zelda smiled. “Thank you,” she told her. “I’ve wanted to read this for a while,” she said, even if Mary already knew. But then, she put the book next to her and resumed Sophocles, getting back to her reading and ignoring the brunette completely. Mary gathered the teared paper and wen back inside. That night, she cried herself to sleep.

That’s when the nightmares started.

It was always the same scenarios: she was alone in the dark, her belly heavy and uncomfortable, and she was walking down the street alone, looking for someone. Sometimes it was Boston, more often it was Blue D. The dreams were pretty basic, but they left her worn out and terrified, feeling lonelier than ever. She woke up abruptly, gasping for air, hot tears streaming down her face.

Sleeping had become a nightmare – she refused to fall asleep, trying to stay up and reading until 2, sometimes 3 AM. When she finally fell asleep, won over by exhaustion, she started dreaming again, just to wake up gasping, more afraid than ever in her life.

Hilda and Sabrina started making comments about how tired she looked, how white her skin was, her eyes bloodshot.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” she told them one night, during dinner. “I’m just having some troubles sleeping.”

“Zelds, love, does your pregnancy book say something about this? Is it common?” Hilda asked Zelda. The redhead shrugged: “I’m going a little bit slowly with my reading, but I guess she’s just a little stressed,” she guessed, and yet, she didn’t look at Mary.

That night, Mary fell asleep playing over and over that sentence in her mind. She wasn’t reading about pregnancies… she didn’t care about her anymore.

That night, the dream was even worse. She was wandering in a dark street, barefoot, crying and calling for _Zelda._ No one was around, no one wanted to help her. At some point, however, she spotted something looking like the Inn, and Zelda was in the ranch, reading. Mary called for her, and she didn’t hear her.

She woke up, once again, gasping and crying, sweat running down her neck. She sat up on her bed, Vinnie T. squeaking at the sudden movement. She ran her hands in her hair, and just knew she couldn’t go on like this. Not anymore.

She got up and ran to Zelda’s room, stopping at her doorstep and glancing at her sleeping form in her bed. She took in her red curls on the pillow, the elegant line of her face, her chest moving with her calming breath.

Mary didn’t know what to do, she just stayed there and cried, trying to be as silent as possible. She tried breathing in time with Zelda, hoping to calm down enough so she could go back to her room and lay down without having a panic attack.

Zelda stirred and looked toward the door.

“What are you –” she tried to ask, then she probably saw Mary’s face, devasted by the tears, and sat up quickly: “Mary, what’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

Mary shook her head furiously: “Nightmares,” she hiccupped. “I can’t… Zelda, I need you,” she cried. “I’m alone and I’m scared, and I need you.” She just stayed there, at Zelda’s door, crying her heart out. And Zelda was angry, because she really, _really_ was, but seeing Mary like that, she forgot everything. She moved the duvet and opened her arms: “Come here,” she just said.

Mary looked at her, eyes wide.

“Come here, Mary,” Zelda said again, stronger. “You are not alone, you silly girl.”

Mary walked to her and technically launch herself in Zelda’s arm, collapsing in her lap, her arms around the redhead’s neck, sobbing hard.

“It’s okay,” Zelda breathed, rocking her comfortingly and caressing her hair. “It’s okay, darling, you’re okay.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary sobbed, harder than ever. She moved away just to look at her face, and when Zelda reached to dry a cheek with one of her hands, “It’s all my fault,” Mary sobbed. “I’m sorry if I rejected you, I wanted to kiss you, Zelda, I swear to God I want to, but this situation is so messy…” she stopped, sobbing and gasping harder than ever.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Zelda whispered, caressing her hair: “Dear, you need to calm down or you’ll make yourself sick. It’s okay, Mary, I swear, it’s okay.”

“I just want things to go back to how they were,” she whined, and buried her face in Zelda’s collarbone, holding on to her for dear life.

Zelda let her cry, caressing her back without saying anything. When Mary started breathing regularly, Zelda gently pulled her away and searched for her eyes.

Mary wiped her face with the palms of her hands: “I’m sorry. I’ll go back to my room.”

“No need,” Zelda whispered. She got comfortable on the bed again and pulled Mary down with her.

“I can sleep with you?” Mary whimpered, wrapping her arms around Zelda’s waist and squeezing strongly.

“You can,” Zelda breathed. “Get comfy,” she instructed, moving the chocolate locks from Mary’s neck, wet with sweat.

Mary didn’t need to be told twice: she snuggled in Zelda’s arms, breathing deeply in her scent, feeling comforted and yet turned on by the redhead’s curves pressed against her body. It was nice, and for the first time in weeks, she felt protected.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, lips against Zelda’s neck. It wasn’t a kiss – just an effort to touch her with every part of her body.

“It doesn’t matter,” Zelda replied. She reached down and pecked Mary’s forehead, her nose and her lips, in a hurried, quick contact. Immediately, before her brain could react, Mary tried to deepen the kiss, but Zelda moved her face and traced the brunette’s temple with her lips: “Let’s not dig into that, okay? I’m here with you. You just need to relax and sleep, okay?”

Vinnie T. ran into the room, his little paws scratching on the parquet. He jumped on the bed and settled down to sleep, curling on Zelda’s feet.

“We’re all here,” Mary breathed, sinking her face in Zelda’s chest.

The following morning, Mary woke up on her side, the room bathing in sun light. She felt rested and relaxed, and she felt Zelda’s breath hot on the back of her neck, her arm wrapped around the brunette’s waist, hand on her belly (even if Mary wasn’t exactly showing, yet.)

She took the time to lay there, enjoying the feeling of Zelda’s body against her, and how much it made her feel anchored. She hummed, and felt Zelda move a little and press a kiss on Mary’s head.

“Morning,” she slurred.

“Good morning,” Mary whispered contently, briefly caressing the back of Zelda’s hand with her own.

“I’m sorry, I’m way into your personal space,” Zelda commented, face still pressed in Mary’s wild curls.

“I don’t mind,” Mary smiled, and felt relieved when Zelda made no move to free them for the hug.

“I need to get a king-sized bed, if you insist on showing up in the middle of the night, begging for attentions,” the redhead added, playfully kicking Mary’s calf.

Zelda’s breath on her neck was comforting and the feeling of her breasts against her back arousing, and Mary cursed again her good judgement. It would be so _amazing_ , to have Zelda kiss her, caressing her breasts, gently playing with her clit as she whispered praises in her ear…

She abruptly sat up.

_Calm down, for fuck’s sake._

She turned and flashed Zelda a small smile: “I’m going to take a shower,” and she ran to the bathroom.

_It’s the second trimester, it’s the second trimester, it’s the second trimester._

She chanted that simple sentence to herself, over and over and over, and she washed her face, her hair and her body under the hot spray of water. A cold shower would have been a fairer choice, considering the state of arousal she found herself in, but she hated cold showers. The hot one would have to do.

A flash of Zelda, smiling, wide smile and low-cut top appeared in her mind.

 _It’s Zelda’s fault,_ Mary considered, brushing her hands over her erect nipples. She pictured Zelda’s lips, her teeth biting into them, her own hand in those silky red locks.

Her hand traveled down her belly and reached for her aching pussy. She felt embarrassed, picturing Zelda as she touched herself, but she felt on fire and the needed to take care of that. Of course, it would have been _great_ to actually ran back to bed and beg Zelda to fuck her, but she would have rather die than humiliate herself that way.

She circled her clit, biting her lip to hold back a moan. She craved Zelda there with her, thigh between her legs, breasts pressed together. Mary reached down to her opening, in order to collect some wetness and going back to her clit. She was far too gone, and picturing Zelda’s figure, her round, sweet hips, she pinched her nipple and came, a strong, satisfying orgasm.

She put her hands on the shower’s wall and steadied herself, gathering her breath.

 _Praise the second trimester_ , she thought, as she began to wash her hair.

Things went back to normal, thankfully.

That night, Mary went back to her bed, and slept peacefully, remembering that Zelda was near, and she could ask for help if she needed it. But she didn’t – the nightmares were gone, and the only problem was Zelda being Zelda, meaning drop dead sexy. Everything Zelda did, lately, turned her on: the way her usual jeans hugged her ass, her hair in the morning, her smile across the dinner table. Her hands, which Mary was currently obsessed with. Everything.

Of course, there were the little touches. Considering things were back to normal, Zelda resumed in brushing her arm as she passed, kissing her cheek in the mornings and before bedtimes.

One afternoon, Mary was feeling restless.

Sabrina was doing her homework at the kitchen table, Mary and Hilda were looking over the Inn’s thrift, and Zelda was down at the Ranch, giving a lesson to a nice middle-aged lady from Vegas.

“Are you feeling poorly, love?” Hilda asked and gently squeezed Mary’s hand. “You’re fidgeting.”

“I’m feeling weird,” Mary tried to explain, making a face. “I want… I don’t even know what I want,” she groaned.

“Do you want me to make you some tea, Mary?” Sabrina asked, raising her eyes from her books.

Mary shook her head: “No, don’t worry, sweetie. I’m fine, I think.”

They resumed their work, but Mary started moving and groaning again in no time.

“Mary, sweetheart?” asks Hilda.

In that moment, Zelda emerged from the back door, a very big bunch of lavender in her arms.

“What are you carrying, love?” Hilda addressed her sister.

“Lady Smith gave me those,” Zelda shrugged, then spotted Mary and blinked at her: “Good afternoon, Vomitin’ Lady.”

Sabrina laughed and Hilda scolded at her sister: “ _Zelda_! How many times do I have to tell you to stop mocking her?”

“No problem, Hilda,” Mary smiled. “Good afternoon. Don’t you like money or you enjoy having all the women at your feet –” the pocking was left hanging as Mary’s eyes widened. “I know what I want!” she grabbed Hilda’s hand. “Hilda! I want lavender macaroons. Please, please, _I need them_!”

“Lavender?” Hilda asked, hesitantly. “I’m not even sure I can bake macaroons, love, let alone _lavender_ ones.”

“But I want them,” Mary cringed, and Sabrina busted in: “There is a place next to my school that sells them!” she said and glanced at the clock: “But it closes in thirty minutes.”

Zelda groaned and reached for her Jeep’s keys: “I can be there in fifteen, if I drive fast.” She was already out of the door, and Mary shouted after her: “Be careful!”

The night turned out amazingly for Mary: Zelda came back in an hour, carrying two dozen of lavender macaroons, along with some English Earl Grey and a peach tart.

“You went all over, Zelds,” Hilda commented, and Zelda shrugged but was entirely rewarder by the breathtaking smile Mary gave her.

“I wasn’t sure what else you could be craving,” she pointed out, scratching Vinnie T.’s head. “Next to Sabrina’s school there’s a movie rental, too,” she told.

“Yeah, no one goes in there,” Sabrina commented, stealing with a smile one of Mary’s macaroons.

“Well, I did,” Zelda smiled, before fishing a _Gone with the Wind_ DVD out of her purse. She turned to Mary: “It’s one of your favorite movies, isn’t it?”

Mary grinned widely and with a little cheerful sound threw her arms at Zelda’s neck and hugged her tightly. “Thank you! Can we watch it after dinner?”

“Renting a movie in the twenty-first century… how romantic,” Sabrina sighed, and Zelda gave her a dirty look. “Shut up, darling, will you?”

As soon as they were done with dinner, Mary, a big smile showing her dimples, grabbed Zelda’s hand and literally dragged her to the couch.

“Can I have a cigarette, before having to witness _four_ hours of _racist_ pining and drama?”

“No, please, Zelda! You can smoke later! And this movie is a colossal, it was the first movie in technicolor!”

“Blah, blah, blah,” Zelda rolled her eyes but followed Mary in the parlor and slugged on the couch, sighing. “Put on that movie.”

Mary did as told, then curled next to Zelda, macaroons’ box in between them.

Unexpectedly, Zelda, who had never seen the movie, couldn’t move her eyes from the screen, while Mary fell asleep during the first hour, moving on the couch until she laid with her head in Zelda’s lap.

Absently, Zelda watched the second half of the movie stroking Mary’s hair.

Hilda watched the movie with her sisters, even if she had seen it a few times, before, and she alternated looks between the screen and the two on the couch.

“I’m glad things are better, between you two, Zelds,” she commented as the end credits rolled.

Zelda rolled her eyes but replied: “Yes. Me too.”

“It’s amazing, what you’re doing for her,” she said, and Zelda shrugged: “I don’t want her to be alone. Especially during a pregnancy. Must be scary.”

Zelda’s hand travelled down to gently graze Mary’s belly, and she gasped.

“Zelda? What’s the matter?” Hilda asked, alarmed, as Zelda incredulously traced a small baby bump that had apparently appeared overnight with her hand. 

“Mary?” Zelda asked, gently shaking Mary’s shoulder. “Mary, dear, wake up.”

Mary’s blue eyes opened, and she blinked a few times: “Zelda?” she smiled.

“I’m sorry to wake up but… pull up your top.”

Mary looked at Zelda like she had lost her mind but obeyed and unconsciously put her hands on her belly, gasping and sitting up immediately.

“I’m showing!” she stated, shocked. Her eyes filled with tears as she smiled at Zelda, caressing her own belly: “Zelda, I’m showing!” then, she looked at Hilda and the blonde nodded, eyes full of tears as well: “Looks like your baby is ready to make its presence known.”

Mary let out a sob, then turned to look at Zelda. The redhead reached out and asked Mary permission with her eyes. When Mary nodded, she timidly put her hand on the brunette’s belly, rubbing softly: “Hi, Blueberry,” she breathed, causing Mary to let out another sob. 

* * *

A few days later, Mary came downstair after a little afternoon nap finding Hilda, Zelda and Sabrina in the kitchen, discussing something animatedly.

“It would be nice, to have all the town there,” Hilda commented.

“How nice,” Zelda commented, rolling her eyes. “We can even do that, but don’t even consider cooking it all by yourself. We’re buying.”

“Madam LaFleur put some new appetizers and snacks on her menu. We can get those!” Sabrina suggested.

“Just the name I wanted to hear,” Mary mumbled, making her entrance in the kitchen. She approached Zelda, as Hilda and Sabrina greeted her and asked her how she was feeling.

“What are we discussing?” Mary asked, putting a hand on Zelda’s shoulder and picking with the other at the sliced apple the redhead was snacking.

“Auntie Hilda’s birthday,” Sabrina announced while Zelda groaned: “I swear to God, you live to annoy me.”

“Probably,” Mary agreed, grinning at her. Then, she tried to get her attention on Hilda: “Really? When is it? Are you gonna have a party?”

“This Saturday,” Hilda smiled. “And yes, _we_ are, love. I was thinking about a country dancing party.”

“The Putnams have enough space for us to have it there, like we did two years ago for Christmas, remember? Or we can do it in their garden! You should ask Theo’s dad, Auntie.”

“I would definitely do that, love, thank you. Zelds, are you going to take care of the food?”

“If it really is necessary to fuss this much about a birthday,” Zelda commented. “Tomorrow morning I’ll stop by Marie’s shop to talk about those appetizers.”

“I’ll come with you,” Mary told her with a tone no one would have dreamed of arguing with. “We’ll take care of the decorations as well, Hildie!” Mary added, voice back to sweet. “I’d have to see the location, at some point.”

“I can take you!” Sabrina offered. “My friend Theo loved you, he would be happy to say hello.”

Taking care of Hilda’s birthday party turned out to be the funniest time Mary had had in Blue D. by then. And of course, Zelda complained all the time in front of Hilda, pointing out every five minutes that she was childish, but behind her back, she worked her ass off to give Hilda the perfect night.

They ended up walking to the Putnams before dinner, and Theo’s dad immediately agreed with the idea. Mary had her chance to visit their amazing garden and started picturing it with hanging lanterns and lights all around the trees. She grabbed Zelda’s hand as the others went inside to get some coffee and quickly told her what she was thinking.

“What do you say?” she asked. Zelda smiled and briefly caressed her cheek: “It’s going to be amazing.

The following morning, nice and early, Mary sat in the passenger’s seat of Zelda’s Jeep, wearing the first maternity dress Zelda had got her, the one with the little feet on the belly. Sunglasses on, hair styled in two braids, she relaxed as they rode to Marie’s shop, while Zelda sang softly _That Don’t Impress Me Much._

“What do you think about getting Hilda’s cake at the shop that makes those amazing macaroons?”

“You just want an excuse to stop by and get more of them,” Zelda commented, as she parked the Jeep outside of a little woody shop, with big windows and the sign _Madam LaFleur Sweet &Salty_, and Mary bit back a groan.

“Be nice,” Zelda chuckled, wrapping an arm around Mary’s waist as they got inside.

“ _Bonjour_ ,” Marie greeted distractedly before realizing it was Zelda and chirping: “Zelda, _mon amour_! And Mary, how – Mary! You’re expecting, _oui_?”

“Well, it’s not Hilda’s cooking,” Mary grinned, and Zelda laughed happily.

“Morning, Marie, we wanted to ask you for some food for Saturday, for Hilda’s birthday party.”

She started to explain what they wanted and what not and Mary made sure to stand really close to Zelda as they spoke, gently touching her arm or taking her hand as she suggested something. Marie kept on calling Zelda _Cherie_ or _Mon Amour_ but was looking at them intently.

The following week, Saturday night came, and when Mary walked upstairs to get ready for the party, her mood wasn’t exactly good. She had gone to the Putnams to check the decorations – which were perfect, of course – when Marie had showed up with the food, and when Mary had told her “Thank you so much, I’m sure I’ll see you around,” Marie had told her she was considering staying around for the party, because after all, _she was a friend of the Spellmans._

Of course, while Mary was getting ready, she had gone to Dr. Cee for a quick coffee.

“Mary?” Hilda’s voice called from somewhere near.

“Yes?”  
“We’re ready, love, how about you?”

“I need some more time, Hilda! Sorry!”

“Take your time, we’ll see you there! Zelda is already going with Marie!”

Mary threw one of her stilettos shoes across the room out of frustration. That French bitch! She didn’t get what _no_ means and of course Zelda was too nice to tell her to fuck off, which was hands down what Mary _was dying_ to tell her. Okay, if Zelda won’t, she was going to take care of the Marie issue herself. Right now.

She put on her silky, indigo full skirt, a black, see-through lace top, and her high heels. She kept the make-up light on her eyes but selected a burgundy lipstick and pulled her hair up in a bun.

_It’s showtime._

When she got to the Putnams, she lost some time greeting people: everyone was there, the Walkers, the Kinkles, Mrs. Meeks, some families Mary didn’t know, and Hilda was nursing a glass of champagne, laughing happily with her boyfriend.

The food looked amazing, the decorations even better. Some people were dressed in full country code, with cowboy boots and hats, some were dressed nicely but in regular clothes, pretty much like her. She looked around, trying to spot Sabrina, Ambrose or Zelda and _that bitch_ , but in that moment the song changed and the catching melody of _Cotton Eye Joe_ playing. She grinned: now, that was country. She looked around and saw a little group of people line-dancing. She spotted Sabrina and Ambrose, who waved at her furiously. Zelda was there as well, wearing a leopard-print simple dress reaching mid-thigh, high heels and light make up, her short locks curly around her face. She was dancing, perfectly so, Marie next to her, trying her best. Zelda saw Mary and whistled in her direction. “Hey, Bostonian! Get your ass over there!”

Laughing, Mary approached her. “Zelda, I have no clue on how to dance this,” she announced, but Sabrina took her hand and helped her take place between herself and Zelda: “It’s super easy! Just listen to the music and copy what Auntie Zee does! She’s the best!”

They danced all the song, and Mary managed to not step on Zelda or Sabrina’s feet, which was a success, for a beginner.

“That was fun,” she said as they gathered their breath, but the song was followed by _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun_ , Zelda grabbed Mary’s hand and she had no choice: she kept dancing.

After three songs, Mary joined Hilda and Lance and had some food, chatting amiably with Sabrina’s friends Roz and Theo. The party was definitely a success, and even if she spent it keeping an eye on Marie, Mary managed to relax a bit. She had no chance to spend time with Zelda, until the sun set. Mary was chatting with Hilda when the mood of the night changed completely, and a slow song started to play.

“What’s happening?” she asked Hilda while glancing at Harvey’s brother, DJ for the night.

“It’s the slow dance moment,” Hilda smiled. “Tommy always does this; he plays three slow songs when it’s getting late.”

Lance approached and Hilda was about to go dance with him when she blinked at Mary: “Step in before Marie asks her to dance.”

Even if Mary’s instinct was to deny, she straightened her back: “I was going to do just that.”

 _I will always love you._ Dolly Parton’s version. There was no way on Earth she was going to let Marie dance to that song with Zelda.

She walked across the dance floor, exactly when Marie grazed Zelda’s arm to get her attention and whispered something to her. Zelda hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second and saw Mary approach. When she smiled at her, Marie forgotten, Mary knew everything she needed to know.

“Sorry, Marie,” she said, stopping in front of them and taking Zelda’s hand. “You don’t mind, do you?” And without waiting for the other woman’s reply, she led Zelda to the middle of the dance floor. Sabrina, who was dancing with Harvey and had witness the interaction, grinned at her: “Way to go, Mary.”

Zelda wrapped her arms around Mary as they started swaying to the music, the proudest grin on her face.

“What are you laughing at?” Mary asked, linking her arms behind Zelda’s neck.

“You are jealous,” Zelda stated.

“Yes, dear, we’ve been over there already.”

_I hope life treats you kind_

_And I hope that you have all_

_That you ever dreamed of_

_I wish you joy_

_And happiness_

_But above all this_

_I wish you love._

Mary sighed and looked at Zelda: “I know I’m a bitch,” she pointed out, out of the blue.

“What are you talking about?” Zelda asked, puzzled. They were still dancing, holding each other close.

“Because you know I like you and yet I’m staying away from you and at the same time, I won’t let you be happy with her.”

Zelda made a face and groaned: “What are you talking about? I’m not a damn damsel in distress, I do what I want to do. And I know what I want, believe me.”

 _I will always love you_ left its place to _Crazy_ , and Mary grinned.

“What?” Zelda asked, their faces dangerously close and yet utterly comfortable.

“I’ve heard you singing this in the ranch, one afternoon. You sing _like a goddess._ ”

Zelda smirked, and blushing started to sing:

_Oh, crazy_

_For thinking that my love could hold you_

_I'm crazy for trying_

_And crazy for crying_

_And I'm crazy for loving you._

“How’s Blueberry?” Zelda asked, moving a hand from its place on Mary’s hips to caress her belly.

“Doing just fine,” Mary grinned.

“She’s not bothered by all the dancing?”

“Oh, we’ve decided she’s a girl, now?” Mary asked, playing with a lock of Zelda’s hair. The party, the people, everything was in the background. As long as Tommy continued to play, they would keep on dancing.

“Of course she’s a girl,” Zelda hissed.

“Blueberry is not bothered by the dancing, don’t worry. I’m going to keep you here all night if it means you won’t dance with _her_.

_Well I can't tell you where I'm going, I'm not sure of where I've been_

_But I know I must keep travelin' till my road comes to an end_

_I'm out here on my journey, trying to make the most of it_

_I'm a puzzle, I must figure out where all my pieces fit._

“How fitting,” Mary commented, sarcastic. “The Kinkle boy is going all over with Dolly Parton.

“Don’t complain,” Zelda smiled, giving her belly another caress. “This is my favorite.” And then, seriously: “Everything will work out,” she assured her with a smile. “I’m here for you.”

“I know you are,” Mary smiled. “And I’ve meant to tell you – you look amazing tonight.”

“As do you,” Zelda replayed and they danced some more, until the song reached a meaningful part and Zelda locked eyes with Mary and sang:

_Oh sometimes the road is rugged, and it's hard to travel on_

_But holdin' to each other, we don't have to walk alone_

_When everything is broken, we can mend it if we try_

_We can make a world of difference, if we want to we can fly._

Mary inched closer. Her life was a mess, a great one for sure. But thank God or who for him, four months ago Mary had ended up in Blue D. of all the places. Everything was scaring and unsure but there was just one thing, just one, she had been sure about: Zelda.

Zelda had been there for her every step of the journey. And whatever was going to happen next… well, _que sera, sera._

She reached for Zelda’s face with a tentative hand and gently grabbed her chin.

“What?” Zelda grinned.

“Come here,” she breathed, and Zelda giggled: “Where? I mean, we can’t be closer than this!”

“We can,” Mary grinned and leaned closer, she kissed Zelda’s opened, smiling mouth.

It was a quick kiss, a gentle touch – not the searing, wet kiss she wanted to give Zelda, but it left her satisfied all the same.

When she broke the kiss, Zelda stayed still, eyes closed, mouth opened. She whispered, without opening her eyes: “I’m not sure of what you’ve just done.”

Mary grinned and kissed her again, this time pressing her lips against hers for longer.

“Now?”  
“Are you going to freak out on me again? I’m not ready for another two weeks of cold shoulder and I’m kind of tired of being woken up in the middle of the night.”

Mary laughed, resting her head on Zelda’s shoulder: “I’m not going to freak out, but I can’t promise anything about waking you up.”

Zelda turned her head and kissed her again, slowly, softly.

“Everybody is probably looking,” Mary breathed but leant forward to peck Zelda’s lips again.

“Let them look,” Zelda replied, exactly when they heard Mrs. Meeks exclaim: “Hilda! Hilda! Your sister and that lovely girl are kissing! I’ve heard about it but never seen it happen!”

Mary and Zelda started laughing hard, still holding each other close. They knew they were going to have to explain a thing or two, but they didn’t even care. And when Mary turned her head, still in Zelda’s arms, and saw Sabrina and Ambrose, grinning and looking at them, she realized that no explanation was going to be needed an that maybe, just _maybe_ , everything was going to be all right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Mary’s baby would be? Boy or girl?


	6. Five Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary has an ultrasound and her and Zelda take a big step together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jules - LaMarwy - thank you, thank you, thank you.
> 
> I took a risk with this chapter, let me know if you're happy with how it turned out!

**Chapter 5 – Five Months Pregnant**

“Are you ready?” Zelda asked, squeezing Mary’s hand between hers.

They were sitting in the waiting room of Mary’s gynecologist – well, in fact it was their gynecologist – waiting for the second trimester’s ultrasound.

Mary looked at her and nodded, a smile lightening her pretty features. Then, she reached out and placed a sweet, shy kiss on Zelda’s cheek.

“What?” the redhead asked, a soft blush on her cheeks.

“Nothing,” Mary shrugged innocently. Her eyes embraced the sleeveless, high-collared denim chamise she was wearing, her brown lipstick, her curls up in a bun. “You’re just so beautiful,” she told her, without helping herself.

Zelda melted and dropped the magazines she had been browsing, turning to Mary and holding out her face for a kiss. Mary pecked her lips in the shy, hurried kind of kisses they had been giving each other since Hilda’s party.

“You’re are the beautiful one,” Zelda smiled, losing herself in those impossibly gorgeous blue eyes.

“Ms. Wardwell?” called the nurse’s voice from behind the desk. “The doctor is ready for you.”

Mary readily got up, gathering her bag, but when she realized Zelda wasn’t following, she stopped and looked at her, questioningly: “Zelda?”

“Uh?” Zelda asked, raising her head form her magazine.

“Are you coming or what?”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Zelda! _Come on_!” she blurted out, exhausted. She held out her hand and Zelda took it. Together, they went inside.

Mary was laying on the bed, her top tucked under her breasts, belly on display, as the doctor did the ultrasound.

“Everything looks good,” he assured Mary, as the screen filled with the blurred image of her baby, looking definitely bigger than the previous time. That perfect, inexplicable, overwhelming feeling that by now she related just with her baby filled her heart and her eyes filled with tears.

“Blueberry is growing,” Zelda murmured, grinning widely, standing next to Mary, holding her hand in both of hers. “But I guess it’s not really Blueberry anymore.”

Mary turned to look into Zelda’s eyes, Zelda the only possible reason to move her eyes away from her baby. “You can call him Blueberry until a name comes up,” she allowed, and Zelda couldn’t help but kiss Mary’s nose.

“Do you have any questions you would like to ask?” the doctor asked, interrupting the moment between the two. “Or would you rather know if your baby is a boy or a girl, first?”

“I have a few questions,” Mary nodded. “But I would like to know the sex, first.”

“Please, let it be a girl, let it be a girl,” Zelda prayed in a whisper. Both Mary and the doctor laughed.

“She wants a girl,” Mary explained, even if it was already pretty clear.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Zelda, but it’s a boy.”

“A boy?!” Zelda groaned loudly.

“A boy!” Mary exclaimed at the same time, tears finally erupting and running down her cheeks. She turned to Zelda: “Zelda! It’s a boy! _He_ is a boy!”

Seeing her so happy, so beautiful, so joyous made Zelda forget everything about the baby’s gender. She was gone. She was definitely gone for Mary Wardwell and her baby. It didn’t matter. Nothing matters, expect Mary’s happiness.

“He’s a boy,” she smiled, stroking Mary’s hair. “You’re having a baby.”

The doctor turned on the monitor and gave Mary some paper to clean herself up. She removed the gel from her belly as he asked: “So? What questions did you have, Mary?”

“Yes!” the brunette nodded, and a blush took over her cheeks. “I wanted to know if there were some… specific things I need to know. You know, about sex.”

Zelda’s head snapped up as she glanced at Mary, but she was avoiding her gaze.

“Oh, nothing too particular,” the doctor nodded. “In fact, sex during pregnancies is encouraged. Just avoid positions that allows deeper penetration and as the belly grows, you’ll find it difficult to lay on your back. Lay on your side, or on your hands and knees and you should be fine.”

Mary nodded furiously, torn between feeling utterly embarrassed and turned on, imagining herself on all fours as Zelda stood behind her, pleasuring her.

“Zelda?” Mary called, following her in the crowned halls of the mall.

“Yes?” she stopped and turned toward her.

“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating?” Mary asked, pointing to the chart Zelda was pushing. The thing was a triumph of blue: onesies, blankets, balloons (Mary briefly wondered why), newborn kits, and she was currently looking at _cribs_ , asking Mary which one she preferred.

“I’m not exaggerating, Mary, a baby needs lot of things! We need to set up a nursery for him.”

When she looked at Mary and spotted the look of confusion and fear in her eyes, she sighed deeply: “Look, I know you’re going to go back to Boston with him. I know this is not your life but just a temporary escape, but in the meantime you’re here, aren’t you? And when you’ll come home after you’ll have the baby, he’ll need a place to sleep.”

Out of the blue, Mary started crying and launched herself in Zelda’s arms. The redhead, solid and ready, caught her and held her close. “It’s okay,” she told her softly.

“It’s not,” Mary sobbed in her arms. “This was why I didn’t want to get too close to you.”

Zelda broke the hug and looked into Mary’s eyes: “Mary… you know, if you want—”

“Zelda, I can’t,” Mary replied, sternly. “I’ve been receiving offers from different places on the East Coast. Great positions, too. What the hell would I do in Blue D.?”

Zelda shrugged. “It’s your life. I understand.”

They resumed their shopping, more silent, both of them with their heads full of thoughts and questions.

“I need to get some cream,” Mary told her at some point. “Well, apparently I need tons of different creams.”

“We’ll get what you need,” Zelda nodded. Mary grabbed her arm and made her stop again: “Zelda?”

The redhead turned and looked into her eyes. Inevitably, something inside her softened.

Mary gently took Zelda’s pretty face between her hands, running her thumbs on her cheeks. “Let’s just… not ruin those moments together, okay? If you want, of course. If you want to be back to being just friends, that’s fine too. I don’t want to keep you from living your life.”

Zelda snorted: “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not your friend. Whatever happens, you can remember me as the woman who stayed with you in the hardest time of your life.”

As soon as they arrived home, everyone was there, waiting for them. Well, Hilda and Sabrina were present, and Ambrose was on FaceTime, excited about the news as well.

“We’re back,” Zelda declared, dropping the multiple bags with their purchases on the floor. She looked at the screen of Sabrina’s MacBook. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hi Auntie! You look great!” Mary appeared behind Zelda. “Mary! You look great too! Pregnancy suits you.”

“Yeah, morning sickness less,” Zelda poked, and Mary slapped her shoulder playfully.

“So? It’s a boy or a girl?” Sabrina asked, practically jumping around.

Zelda groaned and Mary laughed: “It’s a boy!”

“Oh my God!” Hilda gasped and hugged Mary. “Oh, sweetheart, a baby boy! How sweet!”

“Yeah, how fortunate,” Zelda retorted sarcastically.

“Auntie, do I need to remind you that I’m a boy as well?” Ambrose asked Zelda.

“And you were the only male I was supposed to tolerate,” Zelda rolled her eyes. Hilda felt the need to remind to Mary that Zelda was just joking, but when she turned around to do so, Mary was looking at her sister in such a loving way that she knew there was no need to say anything.

One Sunday morning, Zelda peeked inside Mary’s room and looked lovingly at the brunette asleep in the bed, curled on her side, one hand under her cheek and the other resting protectively on her belly.

The redhead sighed, the knowledge that it was going to be a nice day just because with Mary, every day turned out to be good. Flashes of the night of Hilda’s birthday, of them together on the dance floor, echoed in her mind. As long as it was sappy and juvenile, she was positive she was never going to forget those moment with Mary. The light in her blue eyes while she leant over to give her their first kiss, the way she had held her waist as they danced…

She briefly considered waking her up but of course, she wouldn’t: it was Sunday and Mary, between the nausea and some sporadic muscular aching, was always up early. She looked at her for another good five minutes, taking in her glowing skin, in her belly, moving quietly at the rhythm of her breathing. She couldn’t help herself: she pulled her iPhone out of her pocket, turned on the front camera, put on the black and white filter and recorder a brief video of Mary sleeping peacefully.

Then, she ran downstairs to attend her morning chores.

She came back inside around eleven o’clock, and found just Hilda, baking and humming, the TV on.

“Morning, sister,” she smiled, taking off her muddy shoes.

“Morning, love,” Hilda replied, flashing her a smile.

“Where’s everyone?”

“Sabrina is out with her friends; Ambrose is studying in the parlor.”

“I know, I saw Sabrina. What about Mary?”

“She’s upstairs. She told me something about washing her hair.”

Zelda nodded and went to the fridge to get some lavender iced tea and filled two glasses.

“Has she eaten anything since breakfast?” she asked her sister, who shook her head. “Okay, I’m going to bring up to her some lavender macaroons as well.”

“She took a great liking on those,” the blonde grinned. Then, she dropped the flour’s pack she was holding in her hands and looked at her sister seriously: “Zelds? Are you happy, love? With Mary, I mean.”

Zelda stopped, tea and macaroons in hands, and sighed: “I am, Hildie. She just… she feels right, you know?” she paused, and her eyes filled with tears: “I’m just trying to enjoy it while it lasts, because apparently she’ll go back to Boston after the baby is born.”

Hilda made an uncommitting sound with her throat. “I don’t think so, love. She’s saying so because she’s scared, and she’s still trying to figure out her new life. But I don’t think she’ll leave you.”

Zelda shrugged: “I decided I’ll live in denial until I’ll have to face reality. See you later, sis.”

She walked upstairs and as soon as she stepped foot on the first floor, she was greeted by Dolly Parton’s _My Tennessee Mountain Home_ playing from the bathroom (Mary had recently put there a Bluetooth waterproof speaker for them to listen to music while they showered or bathed – _separately, for now_ ), singing along with her nice voice. Mary had probably never listened to Dolly Parton – or any other country song - in her life, and now she was singing it in a bathroom in the middle of Nevada.

The bathroom door was ajar, and she went to peek inside.

Zelda’s jaw dropped.

Mary was in front of the mirror, her big, black glasses on, her hair, voluminous, luscious, magnificent and _straight_ , a waterfall of chocolate on her shoulders. She was wearing a pair of hotpants, her long, tanned legs – all the sunbathing on the back yard while Zelda studied – on display, and a yellow tank top. The little thing clinging on her torso revealed the curve of her belly and her breasts, which were… _wow_. Mary had never been flat, of course, but the belly and the breasts, bigger because of the pregnancy, made a wonderful contrast with her otherwise muscular and slim body.

Zelda had find Mary attractive and sexy the first time she had seen her, getting out of her cherry car and asking her where she could buy a iPhone charger, but _this_ – looking at her, beautiful, radiant and glowing because of the pregnancy made her wet just by looking at her.

“Are you done spying on me?” Mary asked without turning her head, and Zelda startled.

“What?”  
“You’re spying on me,” Mary pointed out, flashing her a smile through the mirror.

“I’m not. I was just…” Zelda forced herself to divert her eyes from Mary’s breasts and gulped: “I was just bringing you some tea and I… well, you look different this morning.”

Then, Mary turned and looked at her, fear in her eyes: “I do? How?”

Zelda approached Mary. “Can I touch you?” she asked.

Mary rolled her eyes: “ _Zelda_ ,” she stressed, as she was stating the obvious. “Of course you can touch me.”

Tentatively, Zelda touched Mary’s hair, then placed her hands on the brunette’s waist. “I love your hair like this, and the belly, and… your breasts look fuller, this morning.”

Mary snorted: “I knew it. I’m turning into a whale.” Out of the blue, Mary busted into tears: “You’ll get back together with Marie in no time,” she sobbed, hiding her face in her hands.

“Mary!” Zelda gasped, puzzled. Damn pregnancy hormones. She grabbed Mary’s hands and pulled them away from her face: “Sweetie, what are you talking about? Between Marie and I it’s over. It’s been over for a while, and what does Marie have to do with this?”

Mary kept sobbing: “I’ll be a whale soon and she is so pretty!”

Zelda puffed and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close and smacking a kiss on her pouting lips. The brunette’s lips opened in a strangled moan and she linked her arms around Zelda’s neck.

“Mary. Open your eyes.”

Big blue eyes found emerald ones.

“It’s the hormones, ok? You look amazing and I don’t want Marie.” She pecked Mary’s lips again and the brunette sighed deeply, pressing her curves against Zelda’s.

“Zelds?” she murmured.

“Uh?”

“Kiss me?”

Zelda giggled and give her one of the soft, quick pecks she always gave her. The answer was Mary emitting a sound between a moan and a groan: “ _Zelda_! Really kiss me?”

She didn’t have to beg, of course. Zelda would have kissed her anyway, in any moment, but she was so sweet and sexy that for a second, she _lost it_. She kissed Mary, a tentative but searing contact, and when she felt the response, she traced the brunette’s thin lips with her tongue. Mary moaned again and opened her mouth under Zelda’s.

Their tongues embraced and stroked each other, and Zelda picked Mary up and placed her on the sink, the other woman’s legs wrapping around her waist, bringing their bodies even closer.

“ _Zelda_ ,” Mary whined, biting the redhead’s bottom lip and as Zelda cupped one of her breast, squeezing it in her hand and tracing her nipple with her thumb.

“Zelda, Zelda, please, _please_ ,” Mary chanted, squeezing Zelda’s hips between her thighs.

“What do you want, sweet girl?” Zelda breathed, still playing with Mary’s nipple through her t-shirt.

“I need you,” Mary told her, locking their lips into another searing kiss. Zelda was torn: she didn’t know if she wanted to pick Mary up and move _that_ into her bedroom or drop on her knees, tearing apart her shorts and her panties and eating her out until she passed against the sink. She definitely didn’t expect them to approach the sex topic that soon but there was no way in hell she was going to deny her when she was clearly this gone.

Downstairs, Hilda dropped something and she cursed, and Zelda and Mary broke apart, startled. Zelda laughed softly: “This probably isn’t the best time,” she murmured, caressing Mary’s cheek sweetly. The brunette panted: “But I want you,” she pouted, and Zelda laughed, kissing her pout. “If you’re sure, we can do it.”

Mary leaned up to meet Zelda’s lips in another kiss, but Zelda stopped her and took her face between her hands: “Mary, listen to me. Until a month and a half ago you didn’t want to kiss me because of your messy situation. I don’t want you to have sex with me and then regret it.”

“It’s been _forever_ ,” Mary told her, her voice sure and steady. “Everything is still messy, but you are the only thing I’m sure about in this moment. I don’t want to give up on you, too.”

“Okay,” Zelda nodded, caressing her face, moving her hair away from her face and kissing her sweetly. “I’m here for you.”

Mary kissed Zelda again and bite her lips so hard the redhead almost whined in pain. Mary grabbed one of redhead’s boobs, but Zelda stopped her: “It’s almost lunch time,” she panted. “If we start, I want us to go on all night long,” and she blinked at her.

“Promises, promises,” whispered Mary seductively, giving Zelda one last kiss. “Let’s go.”

Timing wasn’t on their side.

Mary fell asleep on the couch every night. At some point, Zelda dragged her upstairs, to tuck her into bed. The brunette would want some heated kisses, but she just fell asleep again, leaving Zelda no other choice than to masturbate in her bed, replying over and over Mary’s moans from their heated encounter in the bathroom.

“It’s the baby,” she would whine in the mornings, as they met on their way to the bathroom and exchanged a hundred of kisses. “He makes me sleepy all the time.”

“We’re in no hurry,” Zelda would tell her, losing her religion into those killers blue eyes.

One Friday night, Hilda was making pizza while Sabrina and her friends were chatting and enjoying a glass of lemonade (homemade by Hilda, of course) on the front porch. Ambrose, back from school for the weekend, was taking a shower and setting in, and Zelda was at the kitchen table, Ancient Greek’s dictionary opened, notes scattered all around. Officially, it was to keep her sister company, technically she just wanted someone to bitch to as she studied.

“Get some flour on my books and I’ll kill you in your sleep,” she muttered, reaching for her beer as she tried desperately, for the tenth time, to understand what the basic form of that aorist verb could ever be.

“Oh, now I recognize my gleeful big sister!” Hilda mocked, but smiled at her all the same. “I was afraid Mary Wardwell had ruined you for good.”

Zelda snorted, then dropped her pencil on the dictionary: “Am I really that changed?”

“ _Yes_!” Hilda replied, swaying away every possible doubt. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“She gets me,” Zelda shrugged. “She’s going to smash my heart and walk over it back and forth in a little while, and I know this is stupid of me, when there’s a nice girl like Marie who would do everything to get me back again…”

“But Marie isn’t Mary, right?” Hilda gathered. Zelda just nodded: “I’ll stay with her as long as she’ll have me, and when they’ll leave, I –”

“I’ll help you pick up the pieces,” Hilda assured, smiling at her.

Their cozy little moment was interrupted by angry footsteps on the staircase, followed by Mary and Vinnie T. showing up in the kitchen as the brunette roared: “Zelda Phiona Spellman!”

Zelda’s head snapped up: “Yes, dearest?” she chirped, faking innocence.

“Don’t _dearest_ me!” she snapped, holding her phone for Zelda to see. “What’s this?”

“What?” Zelda asked, knowing well enough that subject of contention was the little video she had recorder of Mary sleeping.

“You know very well what! This horrible video of me looking like a whale, on Instagram, of all places! And you know who liked this? Do you, Zelda?”

“I can guess it, but I would never take away from you the pleasure of telling it yourself.”

“Zelda!” Mary snapped, seriously angry, now. “Don’t joke! The first like you got was from you dear _friend_ ,” and she stressed the word, “Madam what the fuck.”

“Mary, sweetheart,” Hilda got in, speaking sweetly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for you yelling at Zelda, but don’t stress out, okay? It’s not good for the little boy.”

Mary sighed and dropped on a chair, always listening to Hilda.

“Good girl,” the blonde murmured, patting her shoulder. “I’ll make you some tea.”

She went to busy herself around the stoves as Zelda smiled tentatively at Mary: “You don’t look like a whale. You look amazing and you were so sweet… I just wanted to share something I’m proud of.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Mary grunted, shooting her a killing gaze. “I totally know what _that bitch_ is going to think!”

Zelda snaked an arm around Mary’s torso and brought her closer, placing a couple of kisses on her temple, hand going to stroke the belly like she very often did.

“What do we care about what she thinks? I told you it’s over.”

“I believe you,” Mary nodded. “It’s her, I don’t trust. Post a picture of us where I look decent, just to underline the concept.”

Zelda laughed and pulled out her phone to do just so, choosing a selfie they had taken in Vegas the previous week, cheek against cheek, wide smiles, as Zelda held up a blue balloon saying, “It’s a boy!”

She definitely knew that picture suggested they were actually _expecting together_ , but she really didn’t care. She didn’t know what she was doing most of the time, getting so involved with a woman having a baby she wasn’t going to see as he grow up, but she couldn’t stop, even if she wanted to.

As soon as she posted the picture, a gleeful scream arrived from the porch, Sabrina chirping: “They look _so cute_ ” to her friends.

“Now we’ll see if she dares leave a like,” Mary grumbled, and Zelda laughed and kissed her again.

Saturday night, a rare event occurred: at six o’clock, Hilda showed up on the first floor – Mary and Zelda’s floor – dressed up nicely, announcing she was going out on a date with Dr. Cee. Sabrina and Ambrose followed shortly, saying pretty much the same thing.

In the blink of an eye, Zelda and Mary were alone.

Zelda had really, really hoped they would get a change to do something nice together, that weekend – maybe a dinner or some movies in Vegas, something resembling an actual date – but Mary had been experiencing some muscles pain and she was currently napping on her bed.

Knowing well enough how much Mary’s naps lasted those days, she decided to take the dog for a walk and maybe, on her way home, stop by to pick up some dinner. Maybe some pizza for them to share on the couch. She scrabbled a quick post-it in case Mary woke up before she got back home – _Everyone’s out, going for a walk, be back soon with pizza!_ with some xs and a few hearts drawn at the bottom of it.

Hilda was right – that woman was ruining her, probably for good.

She put Vinnie T. at his lashes and, grabbing her keys, her wallet and her headphones, she stepped outside, ready for some exercise.

She came back home less than one hour later, dog excited and tired, Mary’s favorite pizza balancing against one hip. The house was silent, and she guessed Mary was still asleep. She freed the puppy, put the pizza in the oven and marched upstairs, guessed she had time to take a shower and read for a while before dinner. But, apparently, Mary had different plans.

When Zelda stepped into her own bedroom, she found the brunette on her bed, laying on her side, facing the door. _Stark naked_. She was wearing just her glasses. Zelda froze in the threshold, taking with wide eyes in her freckled, luminous skin, her straight, massive hair, her shining eyes. She was something out of this world: graceful, toned, slim legs, adorable baby bump, round, full, firm breasts.

Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out of it. It was Mary the one who did the talking: “Zelda, please… I want you. I can’t think about anything else but you.”

It was soft and sweet – a plead, a beautiful contrast with her _femme fatale_ pose on the bed.

Zelda smiled and approached her, Mary readily scooted over to make her some room on the bed.

“You look amazing,” she breathed, and reached out to cup one of Mary’s breasts, eliciting a loud moan.

Zelda leaned down to place a kiss on Mary’s pink, parted lips. She kind of expected it to be a quick, sweet contact, but the brunette kissed her wetly and passionately, and Zelda found herself laying on the bed, her clothed body pressed against Mary’s naked one.

“I have to tell you something,” the brunette told her, between kisses and while trying to get rid of Zelda’s t-shirt. The redhead broke the contact and in a matter of seconds got rid of her tee and her shorts. She attacked Mary’s neck, ruining it with kisses and love bites, as the brunette purred: “I’ve never had sex with a woman.”

Zelda sunk her teeth in the soft flesh of Mary’s breasts and paused: “Do you want me to stop?”  
“No,” Mary sighed. “Of course not.” She finally got to unhook Zelda’s bra and threw the lacy cloth away. “I just wanted to tell you.”

Zelda gave Mary a few passionate kisses and murmured: “I just want you to be sure about this. I know your hormones make it difficult…”

Mary broke the kisses and looked deeply into Zelda’s eyes: “I don’t want to do it because of my hormones.” She stopped and let out a quick chuckle, linking her arms around Zelda’s neck. Instinctively, the redhead hooked one of her legs around Mary’s hips, and rubbed her panties-cladded pussy against her thigh.

“I want to do it because it’s you,” she murmured, kissing Zelda’s lips again.

It was all Zelda needed – she started showering Mary with kisses: she licked and bit her neck, caressing her breasts, the room echoing with moan after moan. She proceeded and took her time lavish the brunette’s perfect breasts. She was extremely sensitive – it took just one lick on her nipple to reward Zelda with a loud groan.

“Mmh, you like this,” and she started running her tongue around Mary’s nipple, rolling the other between two fingers.

“Zelda,” Mary moaned uncontrollably, throwing back her head. “My God, Zelda!”

Without breaking the contact, Zelda clumsily took off her tong with one hand, and grabbing Mary’s full hips she brought their centers against one another, legs intertwined. It took some struggle to find the right position, but when they did, it was pure bliss.

Mary was moaning and squealing, brushing her clit furiously against Zelda’s.

“Zelda… Zelda, oh God,” she breathed.

“Don’t hold back,” Zelda moaned, pushing their breasts together to kiss Mary on her mouth. “Come for me, sweetheart. I’ve wanted to see you come since the first time I saw you.”

“I’ve never been this wet before,” Mary whimpered, thrusting her pussy against Zelda’s furiously.

“Do I make you this wet, darling? Uh? Let go, come on. Come for me.”

Zelda pinched her nipples softly, but it was all it took: Mary came with a strangled cry and collapsed back, against the pillows.

“Better?” Zelda purred, leaning against Mary – careful to avoid the bump – and kissing her chin softly.

Mary just hummed and ran her hand through Zelda’s silk locks.

“I really think that was the most powerful orgasm of my life,” she confessed, closing her eyes in pure bliss.

“We aren’t even close to be done,” Zelda reminded her. “But I think that’s the pregnancy, anyway.”

Mary scooted over until her mouth was aligned with Zelda’s.

“It’s you,” she breathed softly, brushing their noses together. “And you still need to come.”

“Mmmh, this is about you,” Zelda moaned as they kissed again. “Don’t worry about me.”

“This is about _us_ ,” Mary rectified, cupping Zelda’s breast. She tentatively ran a thumb over and over Zelda’s nipple and the response made her grin. “I’m just try to decide if I want to play with your sweet cunt or lick it…”

Zelda felt another wave of wetness pour between her legs. As if she knew, Mary grinned and peppered Zelda’s lips with kisses, trailing a hand down. Feeling bold, she cupped her center and they moaned simultaneously. “Mmmh, you’re dripping, sweetheart,” she stated, and following her instinct, she parted Zelda’s folds and gently entered her with two fingers. Zelda moaned, welcoming her, soft and wet and smooth.

“You feel _so_ good, my pretty, pretty girl,” Mary gushed, gently pumping her fingers into Zelda. “You are so beautiful, so beautiful and so good for me,” she told her again, and felt Zelda become even wetter at the praise. She increased the movement of her fingers. Zelda was a praise kink, who would have thought. Another thrust with her fingers, another praise and Zelda came all over her hand. Mary slowly withdrew her fingers and licked them. “You taste good too,” she giggled, rolling over to kiss a panting Zelda. “Can I eat you, next time?”

“You’ll be the death of me,” Zelda sighed, trying to catch her breath, laying still. “I don’t know if I’ll survive your pregnancy hormones, if you’re gonna jump me like this every day.”

Mary just moaned and kissed her hungrily again.

“And to think _you_ were the one in need of some relief…”

“Making love to you is the most fulfilling thing ever,” Mary assured, cuddling in Zelda’s arms and looking at her adoringly.

“Let me catch my breath for a while then I can reward you properly for this great orgasm,” Zelda breathed, caressing Mary’s hair.

“I can’t wait,” Mary grinned, giving her another kiss. She caressed Zelda’s hips, her sides, her thighs. “You are so beautiful. Have I ever told you? You take my breath away.”

Zelda felt her eyes water. She didn’t know how to form words, so she just kissed her over and over, and she thanked her good stars because five amazing months prior she had stopped there, just there, to look for a shop where to buy a damn iPhone charger.

“I love you,” she hiccupped, hiding her face in Mary’s neck, gasping when she realized she had said those words.

“Zelda…” Mary said, shock loud in her features, as she gathered the redhead in her arms and looked into her eyes.

“I know it’s too soon and absurd,” Zelda shrugged. “I just want you to know this, okay? You are loved.” She reached down and caressed her belly. “You and him, are so loved. I love you both. I don’t care how long it lasts, but you changed everything, and I’m just grateful to get to share this time with you.”

Mary broke down crying, _sobbing_ , hiding her face in her hands.

“I’m hurting you…” she stated, still sobbing, this time in Zelda’s arms, naked bodies melting. “I know I’m hurting you.”

“You are not,” Zelda shrugged. She knew the time for hurting will come, but now, now was the time to love.

* * *

“Mmmh, Zelda,” Mary moaned, clenching her thighs around Zelda’s neck. “You’re amazing.”

Zelda continued licking, calmly, lovingly, passionately, as Mary rode her second orgasm.

“You want more, darling?”

Mary’s lithe fingers caressed Zelda’s hair, eyes closed, heart beating strongly. She nodded and hummed. “One more?”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” Zelda assured, and gently sucked on her clit. “I love pregnancy sex.”

Mary chuckled but it died in a moan when Zelda gave her a firm lick, bottom to top.

“All the things I’d do to you…” she sighed, then went back to work on Mary’s cunt, slowly, softly, a few well-placed licks and the brunette came again.

“How do you feel?” Zelda asked, gathering her in her arms and kissing her hairline softly. Her hand reached down ad caressed her belly.

“Amazing,” Mary hummed, cuddling against Zelda. “You are amazing,” and she raised her head, kisses never enough.

“Are you hungry?” Zelda murmured.

“Yes. But I don’t wanna move, I feel too good.”

“You don’t have to move. I can bring our pizza up here.”

“But I don’t want you to move either,” she giggled, hugged her and then pushed her out of bed. Zelda got up and reached for her clothes.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Zelda turned to look at her over her shoulders and felt a thrill at the sight of those amazing blue eyes.

“Getting up to get you food?”

“Yes, but there’s no need to get dressed.”

“You naughty woman,” Zelda grinned. “I’ll be right back.”

“Can I have another kiss?” Of course, Zelda obliged. “And can you make me cum again, after dinner?” she breathed on Zelda’s lips.

“You know I could never say no to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me (@madamnovelist) on instagram for updates or just to say hi :)


	7. Six Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A horse is brought, a name for the baby boy is chosen, a little bit of happiness is experienced, then someone tried to save their heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of thank you to LaMarwy who explained me everything about horses. I hope I gave it all justice!  
> And a wave to my friend who spilled Coke from her nose when I told her a porny dream, once. Hilda is you in this chapter.
> 
> And... go get a tissue, before you start.

**Chapter 6 – Six Months Pregnant**

Zelda was just beginning to wake up when Mary rolled over and threw her arm around Zelda’s waist, pressing her round belly against the redhead’s side, humming in her sleep. Zelda briefly closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of their naked body pressing against each other’s.

Since they first had sex, the previous month, Mary had picked up a little habit: she wished Zelda good night on her door, kissing her passionately, and then, as soon as Zelda got into bed, she showed up into her room, claiming that she couldn’t sleep alone. At some point, Zelda had told her to cut the show and just move into her room already. Mary and made a gleeful sound and had hugged her, and later she had rewarded her in bed quite enthusiastically.

Zelda didn’t know if they were a couple – they probably weren’t, except they acted like one. They went everywhere together, always holding hands, and Mary was rather affectionate with Zelda, even – and sometimes _especially_ – when others were present. Of course, they had sex daily. One night, a few weeks before, Mary had been quite hormonal: Zelda had tried to cuddle her after sex, and she had kicked her away. The next morning, at breakfast, Hilda and Sabrina present – and Ambrose as well, since it was a Saturday – Mary had acted like the perfect girlfriend. She had caressed Zelda’s arm, asked her over fifty times if she wanted some more coffee, some more juice, and then she had noticed how cold Zelda was acting.

Scandalizing her family (no one dared being this explicit with Zelda when she was in one of her moods), she had rested her chin on Zelda’s arm, asking: “Why you sulking?” in a baby voice.

Zelda had thrown her a killing gaze before raising her leg, showing a purple bruise on her calf. “That’s the reward I got last night when _I_ wanted to give you a hug!”

“Oh my God!” Mary had gasped. “I’m so, so sorry, baby!” she had cried, almost bursting into tears, and of course… Zelda had melted.

Zelda felt a little kick on her side. She turned to look at Mary, but the brunette was sleeping peacefully in her arms. She lowered her gaze, and when she felt another kick, she realized where it came from.

She rolled on her side and gently placed her hand on Mary’s belly, caressing it in a circular way. The baby boy greeted back with two kicks, and in that moment, Zelda knew she was a goner. She wasn’t only going to miss the woman she loved, when she will be gone, she was going to _also_ miss that baby boy she never met. And it was something that would pass with time. What was she going to do, after Mary had gone back to Boston? What was left, for her, in life?

Her eyes filled with tears as she breathed: “Hey, buddy. You awake?”

“His mama is as well,” Mary mumbled, eyes still closed, snuggling deeper into Zelda’s arms.

Zelda bit back tears, thanking God Mary hadn’t realized she had been crying. She hugged the brunette, caressing her hair.

“Good morning,” Zelda murmured, kissing her forehead lovingly. “How do you feel?”

“Amazing,” Mary hummed. “Like every day, since I started waking up next to you.”

She raised her head, looking for Zelda’s lips, to give the redhead a passionate kiss. Zelda kissed her back, spraying her hands open on the small of Mary’s back, as the brunette rubbed her body against Zelda’s.

Zelda pushed her leg between Mary’s thighs, and she moaned. “Oh God.”

“Do you want to –” Zelda asked, and Mary interrupted her, kissing her with more passion than before. “Yes, please,” she moaned, rolling on top.

“Hey, hey, the baby!” Zelda scolded, caressing her belly. “Pay attention.”

Zelda sat up against the headboard and brought Mary to sit on her lap, crossing their legs, making their sexes brush.

Mary leaned down and took Zelda’s face between her hands to kiss her. “Mmmh, you’ll have me addicted to scissoring with you,” she moaned, rolling her hips against Zelda’s.

Zelda tilted Mary’s chin up, reaching to kiss her softly once more. “As I am to have sex with you, my darling,”

She told her and started guiding the movements of Mary’s hips with her hands.

Later, they stayed in bed for a little longer, tucked into each other’s arms, Mary’s head under Zelda’s chin, Zelda’s hand caressing her belly.

“Zelda?” Mary murmured, before moving her head and dropping a quick kiss on Zelda’s breasts.

“Mmh?”

“Can you… Would you please _say_ _it_?”

It happened a few times, before. After Zelda had told her _I love you_ , Mary, even if she hadn’t said it back, sometime asked her to say it again. It usually happened – Zelda had noticed – when she was feeling more stressed out, or preoccupied, or lonely. And, since the sentiment was growing more and more every day, the redhead gladly repeated it.

She hugged Mary closer and caressed her neck. “I love you, sweetheart,” she whispered, kissing her head. “I love both of you.”

“Mmmh,” Mary sighed, “It makes me feel so good, when you say it.”

“I love you,” Zelda said again. She liked saying it, even if it made her utterly devasted as well, because she knew that Mary was never going to say it back.

“Do you want to go for a stroll, maybe have breakfast at Dr. Cee’s?”

“Yes,” Mary nodded, turning to kiss Zelda again. “But I’m sure we’ll run into your madam whatever.”

“So?” Zelda grinned, stealing another kiss. “She’ll see how happy we are.”

Mary smiled at her, but Zelda frowned and asked: “Because you are, right? Happy, I mean.”

Mary bit down on her lip and looked straight into Zelda’s eyes: “Yes,” she nodded. “You make me very happy, Zelda Spellman.”

 _So, stay,_ Zelda wanted to tell her, wanted to _beg_. _If I make you this happy, stay with me. Don’t leave._

“Are you?” Mary asked back. Zelda nodded: “Yes. For now, at least,” she shrugged, then she patted Mary’s thigh: “Cm’on, Vomitin’ Lady. Off.”

“Zelda…” Mary tried to tell her, getting up nonetheless, stark naked. Zelda just shrugged: “Leave it, Mary. We’ve talked about it already.” She got up as well, grabbing her robe.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Mary told her, eyes full of tears. “I wouldn’t want to leave either, believe me. I’ve never felt more loved than in this family. You guys were there for me when I had no one and I needed it the most.”

Zelda nodded: “Yes, I’m happy I’ve been there for you.”

“But it’s not enough, right?”

Zelda shrugged: “Mary, let’s not talk about this, okay? Because if I start, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop. Let’s just get ready, okay?”

She walked to the door, but before she could get out, Mary grabbed her arm. She turned her so they were facing each other and kissed her deeply. “You know how happy I am with you,” she reminded her.

“I know,” Zelda nodded. Then, she looked at Mary, eyes full of such sorrow, Mary knew she’ll never forget that look. “But apparently, it’s not enough, right?”

She left, going straight to the bathroom. She discarded her clothes and got into the shower, not locking the door. Maybe it was out of habit, maybe it was a hope. And of course, in a matter of minutes, she heard the shower’s doors open and Mary slip inside, wrapping her arms around Zelda’s waist, belly pressing softly against Zelda’s lower back.

“Please,” she breathed softly, kissing Zelda’s neck, tears streaming down her face. “Please, I can’t if you’re angry with me. _Please, Zelda_.”

Zelda turned to face Mary, and the brunette realized she was crying as well. Mary linked her arms behind Zelda’s neck. “Sometimes I wish we hadn’t kissed. I know I’m hurting you. And believe me, if we had met under different circumstances you would have been the right woman for me, but I still have a house, in Boston, and a lot of things and a baby to raise.” She paused, and Zelda didn’t say anything, she just closed her eyes, tears still falling. Mary pressed her lips against Zelda’s, then murmured: “Please, let’s just make each other happy for the time we have, what do you say?”

Zelda opened her eyes and looked at her: “Okay.”

“Okay?” Mary smiled through her tears.

“Yes,” Zelda nodded. “I love you, and I’d do anything to make you happy,” she shrugged.

Mary kissed Zelda’s mouth, hugging her tightly.

“Hold me, please,” she whispered in Zelda’s ear, and the redhead hugged her back, trying to forget it all in Mary’s lips.

In an hour, they were ready. They went over to Dr. Cee’s, Marie LaFleur wasn’t there, and they spent a pleasant morning, Zelda desperately trying to push aside the feeling or loss she was already experiencing.

A few days later, Zelda asked her to have breakfast out again. As they went downstair dressed, make-up on and hair styled, after a round of heated lovemaking in the shower, Mary was desperately clinging to Zelda’s hand.

It was a Saturday, and Sabrina, Hilda and Ambrose were at the kitchen table, chatting happily over tea and coffee.

“Oh, here they are,” Ambrose grinned when they showed up.

“Good morning,” Mary smiled at the family at the table. Zelda tried to leave Mary’s hand to pick up Vinnie T., running toward them, barking loudly out of excitement. Mary gripped Zelda’s hand stronger and Zelda grinned at her behind her shoulder: “Sweetie, I might need my hand back, at some point.”

Sabrina chuckled and exchanged a smile with Hilda.

“Why are you holding on like that to Auntie Zee?” Sabrina asked Mary with concern as the brunette say down next to the girl. “It’s nothing, sweetie,” she answered with a smile.

“Why are you sitting down?” Zelda asked Mary with a frown on her face. “I thought we were going out for breakfast.”

“We are,” Mary nodded, smiling sweetly at Zelda. “I just wanted to share something with you guys, first. Would you sit down next to me?”

“Like she would refuse her,” Ambrose muttered to Sabrina, making the girl giggled.

“Tell us, love,” Hilda smiled as Mary took Zelda’s hand and dragged it on her lap. “Do you want something to drink?”

“No,” Mary shook her head, placing the hand not holding Zelda’s on her belly. “We’re going out, Zelda is right. I just wanted to discuss something with you guys. I’m pretty sure on a name for the baby and I wanted to share it with you.”

“Oh my God!” Sabrina and Hilda exclaimed in excitement at the same time, and Zelda squeezed Mary’s hand tightly.

“So? Tell us!” Ambrose urged. “I’m definitely curious.”

“Well, I’m still in the dark about his second name but I really want to give him a name which will give him memory of where he is born. Of here, I mean. Whatever happens, I suppose.”

Zelda looked away, trying to hold back tears. Hilda noticed it but didn’t say anything.

“And what would this name be?” Sabrina asked. “I’m losing my mind here!”

Mary giggled: “I wanted a name which would give him courage… and strenght. Something _epic_.”

“Well,” Hilda chuckled: “Zelda did read you a lot of Epics, during your pregnancy.”

“Yes,” Mary nodded. “I don’t really need something to help me remember of it…” she turned her head, trying to catch Zelda’s eyes, but the redhead was looking away. Mary concluded: “But I want to name him Achilles.”

Hilda and Sabrina squealed, always in synch, as Ambrose commented: “Achilles… I like it.”

“Do you like it?” Mary murmured to Zelda after both Hilda and Sabrina had kissed and hugged Mary.

Zelda looked at her, finally, eyes full of tears. She nodded furiously but didn’t say anything and Mary hugged her.

“Are you feeling okay, love?” Hilda asked Zelda.

Zelda nodded, breaking their hug, but Ambrose interrupted: “Well, I don’t know about now, but last night she was feeling pretty good. Honestly, Auntie Zee, you should teach me how to make a girl orgasm like that, sometimes!”

Hilda spilled the orange juice she had been drinking _from her nose_ , as Sabrina dropped her mug, spilling her tea everywhere. Mary blushed from head to toe, gasping loudly. “A- Ambrose!” she stammered. Zelda just smiled back at her nephew, slugged her arm around Mary’s shoulders and shrugged: “I’ll draw you a diagram, sometimes.” Then, she groaned at her sister and her niece: “Oh, you two. Sex is nothing to be ashamed of. Let’s go, sweetie.”

They went out in the sun, and despite the hotness of the summer day, Mary cuddled closer to Zelda as they walked.

Out of the blue, Zelda asked: “Would you tell him about me? When he’s older, I mean.”

Mary understood immediately what she was talking about.

They strolled in silence for a bit, Zelda’s arm around Mary’s shoulders, Mary holding Zelda around her waist. Zelda waited patiently for an answer.

“Yes. Of course, I will. I’ll tell him where his name comes from,” she grinned.

_I’ll tell him you held his mom when she was scared or had a nightmare. I’ll tell him how red your hair looked in the sun, how green your eyes shone in the morning light, how safe and treasured I felt in your arms. I’ll tell him that I’ll regret forever that I didn’t have the courage to stay, the courage to start again. I’ll tell him how much I love you, and how much of a coward I was because I never told you any of this…_

“Can we take the longer road to Dr. Cee?” Mark asked, playing innocent.

“You want to see that horse, won’t you?” Zelda said, poking her side softly. “Okay…”

A few weeks before, strolling around with Vinnie. T, they had passed by the Putnam’s farm, and Mary, stopping outside the fence, had fallen in love with one of the horses, a new one apparently, because Zelda was sure she had never seen him before. Since that day, Mary had started to walk the longer road about anywhere, just to have a chance to see the animal.

“Here he is!” Mary exclaimed when she spotted the brown, beautiful horse near the fence, snorting softly when he saw her.

“Hey there, handsome,” she chirped softly, reaching out to caress the white spot on his head.

“He likes you,” said Mr. Putnam, appearing behind a random tree. Zelda gasped and he laughed: “I’m sorry I scared you ladies.”

“Good morning, Mr. Putnam,” Zelda smiled, forcing herself to tear her gaze from Mary and the horse. “He’s really beautiful.”

“He is,” Mr. Putnam nodded, patting the horse’s back. “And he likes you.”

“And I’m completely in love with him,” Mary shrugged as the horse nibbled on her hand. “What’s his name?”

“He doesn’t really have one,” Mr. Putnam shrugged. “I kind of saved him from the slaughterhouse but I can’t really afford another horse.”

“Is he going to die?” Mary gasped, looking at the man with wide eyes. Gently, Zelda hugged her from behind (she presumed the man wouldn’t be scandalized since they had made out on his garden, after all), trying to calm her. Then, out of the blue, she blurted out: “Would you consider selling him?” she asked.

“Selling?” Mr. Putnam asked, disbelief on his face. “I think we can arrange that. How much would you like to spend on him?” he asked, but Mary interrupted them, turning abruptly toward Zelda: “What are you doing?”

“Buying you a birthday gift?” Zelda said, with the same tone she would use to tell her she wanted spaghetti for dinner.

“My birthday is in November!” Mary spatted, slapping Zelda’s shoulder softly.

“Hey! I buy you a gift and you slap me?” she turned to Mr. Putnam, who was watching them with a smile on his face. “Let’s say about 2k?” she asked. “That’s more or less what I spend on Lighthope.”

“Two _thousand_ dollar?” he asked. “It would be just fine. Why don’t you come inside, so you can take him home from the passage?”

Mary wanted to ask what the passage was, as Zelda grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the farm, but she was feeling totally overwhelmed.

“Zelda…” she tried to argue, but Zelda just smirked at her.

“Of course, I don’t have my checkbook with me,” she was telling Mr. Putnam as they approached the horse.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Mary exclaimed, gently petting his neck as he nibbled her cheek.

“Be careful,” Zelda instructed.

“He’s sweet!”

“He’s very sweet but horses are a little bit clumsy and he can hurt you without meaning it, especially in your condition.”

“Do you trust to ride him home with Ms. Wardwell?” Mr. Putnam asked Zelda. “Of course, you can get back to me with your check anytime. No hurry.”

“Why don’t we go home taking him by the road?” Mary asked Zelda.

“We’re riding him through the farm. Over there there’s a little gate that connects the farm to our ranch.” Mary’s heart skipped a bit when Zelda used _our_ to talk of what was, in fact, her ranch. “Riding in a closed space is better, in your condition. Safer.” Then, she turned to Mr. Putnam: “Do you have a mounting block we can use?”

“Of course. I’ll be back in a second.”

As soon as he was out of sight, Mary hugged Zelda with eager, linking her arms around her neck, bringing their mouth together. Zelda kissed her back, laughing between kisses.

“You didn’t have to buy him – but now that he’s yours I can see him every day!”

Zelda smiled wider and shook her head: “Sweetheart, he’s not mine. He’s yours.”

Zelda had bought her the horse. Zelda had bought her a two-thousand-dollars horse. Of course, she had said that he was a birthday gift, but Mary couldn’t believe he was actually for her. And apparently, she had been wrong.

“But –” she stammered, and Zelda kissed her again, caressing her hair. “You’re welcome.”

“But why?!” Mary exclaimed, kissing Zelda one more time.

“We’ve vowed to make each other happy, for the time we have, remember? And I saw how happy you are with… What are you naming him?”

“Dublin,” Mary grinned. “Like Eowyn’s horse from _The Lord of the Rings_. One of the best characters in literature.”

“Pardon? _The_ best character in literature.”

Mr. Putnam came back with the mounting block and Zelda climbed on top of Dublin easily.

“Zelda? Aren’t we using reins or a saddle?”

Zelda shook her head. “No, we’re going tackles. And bareback. He’s freer this way. Reins are so constricting, I don’t like using them.”

“As you say,” Mary shrugged.

Mr. Putnam helped Mary climb on Dublin, and when she was safe in Zelda’s arms, he announced: “I’m going to open the gate for you guys.”

“Thanks! So, sweetie, it’s pretty easy. In this moment we’re an appendix to his spinal cord. Sit back, relax against me, and use your hips to second his movements. I’ll promise I won’t harass you,” and as to confirm her words, she squeezed one of Mary’s boobs and the brunette laughed freely, turning a bit to give Zelda a kiss.

“Thank you, my darling,” she said, holding Zelda’s cheek in her hand.

“You deserve the world, love. You’re welcome. Of course, feel free to pay me back with sex anytime soon.”

“As soon as we got home, my gorgeous girl,” and she kissed Zelda one last time before tickling her side: “Let’s hurry!”

Mary had never been on a horse before and she was supposed she’d feel a little scared, but apparently being safe in Zelda’s arms counted on moving animals as well. After figuring out what to expect and what not, she relaxed and enjoyed the ride, the amazing weather, and the feeling of the random kisses Zelda left on her neck from time to time.

“Say it,” she whispered at some point. “Please?”

Zelda chuckled and kissed her neck with more conviction. “Buying you a horse wasn’t enough? I love you, darling,” and she kissed her cheek softly.

They arrived home safely and Mary spent a lot of time outside with Dublin, caressing him and feeding him apples.

“He likes those,” she grinned to Zelda, but frowned, seeing the redhead with the water pomp. “What are you doing?”

“Washing him? Horses are dirty animals, you know,” and out of the blue, Zelda turned on the water and Mary was soaked from head to toe.

“Zelda!” she gasped. “You bitch!”

It took her a few seconds to react, then she tried to escape or hiding behind Dublin and Zelda followed her, wetting both Mary and Dublin. Laughter and cries filled the silent morning as they played in the sun, until Zelda dropped the water pomp and caught Mary at her waist, always gentle and extremely careful with the belly.

“I won’t let you run,” she grinned, biting down on Mary’s shoulder as the brunette cried and laughed loudly. Thank God, they were on the other side of the ranch from the house, or Hilda would have gone outside to check on them immediately.

Mary turned back in her arms and sloppily kissed Zelda on the mouth, tongues stroking each other, making Zelda wet as well.

She moaned loudly as Zelda fell down on the grass and gently brought her down with her. They laid back on the green carpet, sighing happily in each other’s arms.

Mary looked straight into Zelda’s eyes, so deeply and with so many mixed feelings that Zelda couldn’t hold that gaze anymore and kissed her again, grabbing her breasts and brushing her thumbs over her nipples. Mary moaned loudly and Zelda bit her neck and asked: “Are you always this sensitive? Or it’s just the pregnancy?”

“It could be the pregnancy,” Mary nodded, throwing her head back, eyes closed, breathing short. “But I think it’s mostly how much I want you and how much I like making love to you,” she panted, and Zelda tried hard to ignore how her heart jumped at the use of the phrase _making love_ for the first time. She left Mary’s breasts and fretted to lower her shorts and her thong. Mary went on: “You can test it yourself the first time we’ll have sex after I give birth.”

Zelda froze the second the sentence was out of Mary’s mouth and snapped her head up to look at Mary. The brunette realized that it was never going to happen, and her eyes widen as well.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed. Zelda leaned up and kissed her, wetly and passionately. “No problem. Do you still want to…?”

“To fuck you in the grass? You bet I still want to! But roll on your back, please, I want my favorite position,” she grinned.

Zelda obeyed and discarded her pants and her underwear, urging Mary to sit on her lap. She sat up and took the brunette in her arms, suffocating her whines in Mary’s neck as Mary moaned loudly and freely.

“I can’t believe you brought me a horse,” she sighed, after, laying on the grass at Zelda’s side. Dublin dropped down on the ground, and Mary gasped. Zelda laughed freely and sat up, moving to rest her back against the horse’s belly.

Mary watched her, in awe, open-mouthed. She was in the middle of freaking Nevada, six-months-pregnant, _naked_ in the grass, next to her horse (please note the fact the she _owned_ a horse!), watching the woman who had taught her what love was, also naked, laying against said horse.

If life can change in the blink of an eye, Mary Wardwell was the living proof of it.

The following week, Mary was still talking about the great gesture Zelda had made. On Friday night, as Ambrose came back from college for summer break, she spent the hours before dinner telling the family everything about the horse, _over and over_ , as Zelda pretended to be studying and Hilda cooked.

“She is just the sweetest, isn’t she?” Mary gushed at Ambrose and Sabrina, leaning down to kiss Zelda’s red curls.

“Is she talking about Auntie Zee?” Ambrose asked Sabrina. “The same Auntie Zee who threw a stone at that man who whistled at her ass, last year?”

“He was –” Zelda tried to argue, but Mary’s iPhone started ringing, interrupting her mid-sentence.

“Who is it?” Zelda asked, looking at Mary curiously. “Zelda!” Hilda gasped. “Mind your own business!”

“No, it’s fine,” Mary dismissed before raising a hand and answering the call.

The conversation lasted about fifteen minutes, but Mary moved into the parlor after three and of course, Zelda tagged along. She sat on the arm of the couch, looking intently at Mary, even if most of the conversation was led by whoever was on the other side. Mary just answered with random _yes_ and _of course_ and _it would be great, thank you._ She then replied with a complete sentence: “Yes, let me check my planner. Would you please hold on a minute?” she moved her phone away from her ear but of course she hadn’t any planner to check, and Zelda suppressed a giggle. Then, she sighed in the phone: “Yes, next week would me amazing, sir. I can fly in with the first flight on Friday morning because I’m in Nevada right now.” She paused, and Zelda’s eyes widened. “Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you, sir. And thank you for the amazing opportunity. See you Friday!” and she hung up.

“Zelda!” she chirped, falling down on Zelda’s nap and planting a kiss on her lips. “I had the greatest job offer!” she announced.

“Oh,” Zelda nodded. “Which kind of job?”

“On finance. I would lead a whole department. Isn’t that great?”

Zelda nodded, forcing herself to smile. “Where it is? Why can’t you have your interview over Zoom?”

“It’s in New York and I have to fly there because I have to see the place, of course, and meet someone from the stuff.”

Zelda nodded, arms still around Mary’s waist and she silently caressed her belly. Achilles kicked back and Zelda bent to kiss Mary’s belly. As soon as she was bent, she felt a great sense of helplessness. But most of all, for the first time, she felt _anger_. What was she supposed to do? Sleep with Mary, make love to her every night, tell her _I love you_ over and over, caress and kiss her belly, maybe help her set up the nursery, hold her hand while she gave birth? And why? To see her leave right after? To have Mary prove her that she wasn’t enough, that their love wasn’t enough for her to stay, for her to give them a try?

No. She didn’t have the strength to do so. She wanted to be with Mary, she wanted to live with her and help her raise her kid. Hell, she wanted him to be _their_ kid. She had liked her life before, but since she had met Mary… she had changed everything. She was going to die of pain, probably. And going on with this any longer was just going to hurt her more.

No – that was it. She was done.

“Sweetheart?” Mary breathed, playing with Zelda’s hair. “Are you okay?”

Zelda straightened her back and sighed. Her eyes were full of tears when she spoke: “Mary…”

“Do you want to come with me? To New York?” Mary asked excitedly. Zelda sighed and shook her head: “Mary, you’re going to go back to the East Coast after Achilles is born, right? With this job, or another one?”

“Zelda, we talked about this –”

“Mary, it’s really that simple. Yes or no.”

Mary nodded. “You know this.”

“Yes, I knew it.” Tears started streaming down Zelda’s face, but her voice stayed still. “I want you to go to New York and don’t come back.”

“Zelda!” Mary gasped, jumping off Zelda’s lap. “What...”

“Mary, please. It hurts too much. It would just be stupid to drag this on any longer. I’m done.”

She turned on her heel and marched upstairs.

That night, in adjacent rooms, Zelda Spellman and Mary Wardwell cried themselves to sleep.

It was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry?  
> It's not over, yet!  
> Tell me your thoughts or use the comments section to insult me :)


	8. Seven Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a beautiful morning, and Mary leaves Zelda and Blue Diamond to get back to her old life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really can't believe we're almost done!!! I hope you like this one. :) enjoy!

**Chapter Seven – Seven Months Pregnant**

The following morning, Mary rolled over in bed, moving her hand on the space next to her, looking for Zelda’s body, but she just found cold sheets. She opened her eyes, looking around, and reality washed over her. Zelda had told her to go to New York and to not come back. Zelda had told her they were over. Panic formed into her belly, raising up through her throat, tears rolling down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind and calm her breathing, but she just saw images of Zelda – Zelda sleeping in her arms, Zelda riding Lighthope, Zelda cuddling Vinnie T. on the couch. Zelda kissing, touching, talking to Mary’s belly. Her breath went erratic and quick, almost a pant, when someone knocked at the door, but even if Mary’s head just shouted _Zelda_ , she couldn’t find her voice to reply. There was another knock, then the door opened and Hilda’s face appeared, a sweet smile on her face. As soon as the blonde noticed Mary and the state she was in, the smile dropped, replaced by a worried look.

“Mary, sweetheart!” she breathed, hurrying to the bed, sitting down and taking Mary into her arms.

“It’s okay, darling,” she whispered, caressing Mary’s shoulder. “Just breath with me, everything is fine. You just had a fight, it happens.”

Mary shook her head furiously, panic still squeezing her throat. It took her five minutes to bring her breathing back to normal, just enough to sob in Hilda’s arms: “She told me to go to New York and to stay there,” she hiccupped.

“What? What’s this nonsense?”

“I got a job offer… in New York. I have to go there to talk details and she said that if I still want to leave, after Achilles is born, I need to leave now. She said we’re over,” she sobbed, started crying once again.

“Oh, sweetie,” Hilda sighed, caressing Mary’s hair. “She just doesn’t want you to leave. She loves you, Mary.”

“I know,” Mary sobbed. “She is perfect, she is – she _was_ everything.”

“Love, so why don’t you stay?” Hilda dared to ask.

“I can’t,” Mary sobbed again. “I can’t Hilda. I have to let her go… I’m going to go back. H- Boston.” She tried to say _home_ but couldn’t get herself to form the word. “I’ve hurt her enough.”

“Oh, that’s just nonsense, my love. I’ve never seen my sister this happy.”

Mary shook her head: “I’m going to go.”

“I don’t want you to give birth alone,” Hilda said, sternly. “You are going to stay here.”

“No, I’m not,” Mary replied, finally calm. “I have friends over there. And I still need to tell Adam… well, I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.”

Hilda sighed and hugged Mary tightly: “You need to text me at least twice a day if you don’t want me to show up at your doorstep in a week, okay?”

“I will,” Mary nodded. It was going to be all right. It _had_ to.

As soon as she exited Mary’s room, Hilda went downstair, and out in the ranch, looking for her sister. She was a woman on a mission.

“Zelda Spellman!” she called.

“Yes, sister?” Zelda replied back from the stables. Perfect place for a conversation.

“What’s happening with Mary?” she asked, straight to the point, looking at her sister, dark blue circles under her eyes, wrinkled clothes. She clearly hadn’t slept. She sighed: “I don’t want to talk about this, Hilda. Mary and I knew this was going to happen.”

“Zelda, love –”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Hilda. I’m sorry she has to give birth alone, but I can’t… not anymore…” Zelda’s voice broke, and Hilda was about to reach for her sister, to touch her, comfort her, but Zelda just told her: “Please, leave me alone.”

Everyone picked up quickly what was happening.

Zelda spent more time than she usually did outside, and Mary locked up in her own room. They met during meals, Zelda hidden behind a stoned façade, Mary always looking on the verge of tears. One day, during lunch, Mary announced, voice trembling, that she would leave the following morning. Zelda just got up and went outside, leaving Mary to deal with her own broken heart and a crying Sabrina.

Later, Mary packed her bags, and crying all her tears, collected in a box everything she had stolen from Zelda in those months: books, clothes. That room had felt more like home than anything else in her life. And to part from that stuff… she sighed. She would love to just be a coward and drop everything there, hoping that Zelda would find the box herself at some point, when Mary was miles away, but she knew she couldn’t. She gathered her courage and walked to Zelda’s room. She knocked: no reply. She knocked again, then opened the door, deciding to just leave the box on Zelda’s bed, but when she walked inside, memories crushed on her back like a snowball. Zelda’s room still had traces of Mary – their picture with Vinnie T. on the nightstand, her robe hooked behind the door, Achilles’ ultrasounds wedged in the vanity’s mirror.

“What are you doing here?” asked Zelda’s voice behind her back, and Mary jumped. “Oh God! You scared the hell out of me, Zelda.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked again, getting into the room and crossing her arms on her chest.

“I wanted to give you your stuff back,” Mary just said, shrugging, and of course she feels her eyes filling with tears.

_Not now. Please, not now._

“Thanks,” Zelda nodded, voice empty, eyes two pieces of ice. “I didn’t have time to collect your stuff, yet.”

“You can keep everything,” Mary whispered, as the first tear rolled down her cheek. Thank God, Zelda wasn’t looking at her. “So, you can remember me.”

Zelda had her back to Mary, facing the window. “I’d rather forget,” she said. “But of course, the only way to forget would be to rip my heart from my chest. Not really a practicable solution.” She opened a drawer of her desk and pulled out a cigarette, lightening it and hopping on the windowsill. She sniffled, even if she wasn’t crying, and she said: “I’ve been thinking… You can have Vinnie T. If you want him, I mean.”

_I want him and I want you._

“No… Of course, I want him, but I’d rather have him here with you.”

“I see,” Zelda nodded. “We’ve just been a vacation from your life.”

_Don’t you see? Don’t you understand? You’re the love of my life._

“Zelda, darling –” Mary started, but Zelda raised a hand to stop her and she did.

“Don’t,” the redhead just said. “Just _don’t._ ”

She hopped down and marched to the bathroom, the conversation over. Mary stayed there for a couple of minutes, trying to glue every detail of Zelda’s room in her mind.

The following morning, Mary went downstairs with her bags, Sabrina, Ambrose and Hilda in the kitchen, Sabrina already tear eyed.

“Sweetie, are you sure it’s safe for you to drive?” Hilda asked, concerned.

“Of course,” Mary forced herself to smile. “I’m in my seventh month and my belly is not that big, honestly. I’ll take frequent breaks.”

“And text every time you do. I’ve made you some snacks,” and she handed her a bag with a thermos of tea, some fruit and some biscuits.

“Hilda…” Mary breathed, eyes full of tears. “Thank you. Thank you. _Thank you._ I’ll never forget you.” She hugged tightly, hiding her face in Hilda’s shoulder.

“What does it mean _I’ll never forget you_? Don’t think I’ll let you be a stranger!”

“I want to visit you,” Sabrina interrupted, launching herself in Mary’s arms, sobbing freely as the brunette caressed her back.

“Of course, you will,” Mary nodded, daring to look in the direction of the stairs. Nothing. Was it possible?

“I don’t want you to leave,” Sabrina cried, still holding onto Mary. “Why are you leaving? Don’t you love us? I’m sure Auntie Zee will –”

“Sabrina,” Mary interrupted the girl, taking her face between her hands. “I can’t. But it’s not because I don’t love you. Please, never think that I don’t love you guys because I do,” and she opened her arm to Ambrose, who hugged them both. “You have another Aunt and a little cousin on the East Coast that you can visit, okay?”

They hugged some more, Mary still looking at the stairs. At some point, with a rip at her heart, she realized that Zelda wasn’t going to come downstairs.

“I should get going,” she shrugged, and they went outside, where Mary could hug and pet her dog and her horse. Then, she put her bags in her car, and with a final wave, she climbed in it and started the engine and the radio. _I will always love you_ , Dolly Parton version, filled the vehicle. Tears rolling down her cheeks, Mary left the inn, but when she turned back, she caught a glimpse of Zelda, sitting on the windowsill, smoking, and in that moment, she just knew, _she knew for a fact_ , that she was never going to love anyone else. She was done.

She stopped in Colorado for the night, after a ten hours’ drive. She had never been to Colorado before, just on her way to Blue Diamond (but of course, in that moment she hadn’t known her final stop was going to be Blue D.) and then, on her way back… back. Again, she couldn’t get herself to think _back home_. She loved the place so much, she enjoyed a brief stroll, to stretch her legs, and looking around at the mountains, trying to guess which one was the Pikes Peak (which was, of course, pretty easy to guess), gave her heart a brief solace. Of course, it turned into sorrow quickly enough when she briefly considered that Zelda would just _love_ Colorado.

She got herself a room in a little hotel between Aspen and Colorado Springs, and when she walked to the nearest diner to get herself some dinner, she spotted a family, a couple around her age – _hers and Zelda’s_. He was tall and handsome, brown hair, olive skin, arm slumped around the shoulders of a skinny redhead, who was cuddling close a little girl with brown hair. To put it in a simple sentence, she felt like dying. Heart collapsing in her stomach. She wasn’t hungry anymore but as she put a hand on her belly, she remembered she had to do it for Achilles. So, she quickly had a sandwich and then went back to the hotel, settling under the covers with her phone. The screen lit up and Mary knew she needed to change her lock screen, but she just stared at the picture of herself and Zelda on Dublin, Zelda’s chin on her shoulder, her hands on her belly, fingers forming a heart. Sniffling, she unlocked the phone, opened her photo app and started scrolling. Zelda on the couch, sleeping, curled around Vinnie T. Again, Zelda sleeping, this time in her bed, head on Mary’s thigh (Mary can see a spot of her wine-colored panties and sighed while recalling how many times Zelda had ripped them off her body in a month). A selfie of them, on the blanket. A series of pictures of them at Hilda’s birthday. Another selfie, of them in their bras, in Zelda’s bed. The two of them kissing on the porch.

She stopped, because it hurt _a lot_. Nothing had ever hurt that much in her life. Like every time she’s afraid she won’t do it, she sighed deeply and caressed her belly. She needed to focus on Achilles. She was doing all of this for him, to bring him in this messy, chaotic word not in an equally messy and chaotic situation.

She briefly considered checking Zelda’s Instagram, but she desisted. While she shut down her phone, placing it on her nightstand, she wondered how long was going to pass before she spotted a picture of Zelda with Marie, or with someone else, on her Instagram feed. How long until she heard Hilda’s conspicuous tone on the phone, or Sabrina bursting something out.

Even if she knew she wasn’t going to sleep, she curled under the duvet, trying to relax her aching muscles. She sighed. It would get better. It had to.

In Kansas, there was _nothing_ , and Mary felt like she had been on the road since forever. She slowed down on the provincial road, lowering her window. She turned on the radio, hoping to calm down Achilles, who was kicking furiously and apparently hadn’t appreciated the breakfast burrito she had had, so Mary was feeling slightly nauseous.

Her phone’s service was down, and the only radio station who played nicely, without disturbing interferences, was of course the country music station. She cursed herself because she hadn’t thought of downloading any Spotify playlist and she didn’t want to hear another damn country song in all her life. The memory of herself and Zelda dancing Dolly Parton’s _I will always love you_ painful like alcohol on an open cut. She reached over the console to grab a random CD, remembering that she had some Queen CDs somewhere in her car. She put it in her radio and waited a couple of seconds before the first song started playing.

_Crazy –_

_I’m crazy for feeling so lonely…_

She furiously hit the expelling button and had to stop herself from throwing the damn CD out of the window. She had randomly selected a CD she had borrowed from Zelda. The radio started playing again, passing _Cotton Eye Joe_. It was so clear that the universe hated her that Mary listened to the song, driving and crying and sometimes letting out a nervous laugh. She tried focusing on her baby, stroking her hand on her belly. She needed to focus on her baby: he was the only important thing, in her life, right now. Soon, the memories would fade away, and hopefully she would just remember how nice and relaxed and safe she had felt in the arms of a gorgeous, extraordinary woman she had met in Nevada. But was it going to be like that, after all? Just a sweet reminder of something that in that very moment was threatening to rip her heart in two? She tried to think about Zelda, to picture what she would possibly be doing, and she realize that no sweetness was going to come out, from all of that, because she had hurt Zelda beyond all meaning, an she had ruined, for Zelda, every possible memory of the two of them.

All the way right to the next stop, she cursed the day she had stopped in Blue D., looking for an iPhone charger.

Mary had left a week before, and to Zelda, if felt like forever.

Hilda tried to ask her how she was doing, and the answer was always a barked “I’m perfectly fine, for Hell’s sake, Hildegard!” but the reality was that she was anything but _perfectly fine_. Even if it felt like forever, it was pretty clearly that it hadn’t, because her pillow still smelled like Mary, and it didn’t matter that she had already washed it twice, Mary’s scent was _everywhere._

 _Mary_ , was everywhere. Every place Zelda went, everything she did, every song she listened to. Everything was painful: working, studying, reading. Everything was full of Mary, of memories of her lovely face, of her kisses, of her comments and her laugh. It was so stupid, so _cliché._ She had fell in love, she had given Mary her heart – she had vivid visions of herself, soft and needy, stroking Mary’s hair in bed, whispering in the dark how much she loved her – and Mary had walked on it. She had _crushed_ it.

She currently wasn’t eating nor sleeping: she spent her nights smoking out of her window, and her meals pushing food around on her plate with her fork, ready to snap at her sister, if she dared tell her anything at all. She was _miserable._ Most of all, as much as she was angry with Mary, as much as she resented her for her broken heart, she spent every moment worrying. She was alone, somewhere in the country, alone and pregnant, and as much as she was furious, she was worried because it was her fault that she wasn’t safe anymore. In that week, she had opened her phone, ready to call her, then she had desisted. She was not going to bend. No. _Never._ She wanted to know, anyway. She wanted to ask Hilda, but it actually took her four day to gather the courage to approach Hilda on the subject.

They were having lunch, Sabrina and Ambrose keeping the mood on the joyous side, because if they left the task to Zelda… well, she looked like she was ready to attend a funeral.

“How’s she?” she asked out of the blue, eyes fixed on the filet mignon on her plate. No need to specify who was the she _she_ was talking about or to whom the question was directed.

“Oh, you miss her, don’t you, love?” Hilda asked softly, but Zelda snapped: “I don’t miss anyone, Hildegard, I just don’t want the woman to end up dead on the side of a fucking road in Kentucky!”

“Kentucky is not on the way to Boston,” Sabrina considered, and Zelda groaned loudly: “Thank God I was gifted with such a funny family!”

Sabrina mumbled a “Sorry, Auntie Zee,” and Hilda finally replied to the original question: “She texts me every two hours. She’s fine, or so it seems. She’s stopping by in the Chicago area today… she’s taking her time.”

Zelda just nodded, deciding to drop the subject. She didn’t need to ask, anyway: Hilda just knew, and as much as the redhead hated it, once a day she casually updated Zelda on Mary’s whereabout.

Zelda kind of expected to feel better, knowing that she was safe, but honestly, it wasn’t much of a comfort.

September is already a cold month in Chicago, especially at night, and Mary stopped there in what she presumed was her last nightly stop before finally getting to Boston.

She knew she needed to get a hotel room and get some sleep – the ache in her legs similar to the one in her heart – but first, she entered a coffee shop because she felt the aggressive need to have a cup of tea.

The coffee shop is neat and cozy, and Mary smiled instinctively. She tried breathing deeply, trying to snuggle her neck deeply into the scarf she was wearing. Another thing she was definitely going to miss about Blue D. was the weather.

“Hello, ma’am,” gently greeted her the waitress, a girl probably a couple years holder than Sabrina. “How are you today?”

“Pretty fine, thank you,” Mary barely ended the sentence that the girl chirped: “Oh my God, what an adorable baby bump! Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Boy,” Mary smiled, patting her belly.

“Are you from this area?”

“No, from…” she stopped, realizing she didn’t have an answer to that question. Where was she from? She’d been on the road so long she didn’t even know what she was running from, or what she was running _to._ She shrugged: “No, I’m not from here. I’m going to New York for a job interview.”

“Oh! All alone? Couldn’t the baby daddy drive you?” the girl asked innocently.

Mary tried not to wince, and out of a reflex, she corrected the girl: “The baby’s _mommy._ He has two mommies.”

She felt a wave of red color her cheeks as she deeply wished it was true.

“I’m sorry,” the girl smiled. “What can I get you? You can go sit down if you’d like! I can bring to you whatever you chose.”

“No, thank you,” Mary shook her head. “I’ve been sitting down all day. May I have some tea, please? Something with chocolate.”

“Mint and chocolate! My favorite! Coming right up.”

The girl walked to the other side of the counter and Mary closed her eyes, trying to relax a little bit.

“Here you go!”

When she heard the girl’s voice, her eyes snapped open. “Sorry!” she smiled. “Thank you,” she nodded, accepting the fuming mug.

There was some music, playing in the background, and she listened, recognizing the tune:  
  


_I hear her voice in the mornin' hour she calls me_

_Radio reminds me of my home far away_

_Drivin' down the road I get a feelin'_

_That I should have been home yesterday_

The memories were unstoppable – the surrounding fading, Mary was back in Zelda’s Jeep, driving to Achille’s ultrasound. She could smell the scent of Zelda’s shampoo, sitting next to her, the pattern of her thighs, she clearly saw the leopard print sunglasses and became shrouded with the scented, warm air out of the window.

_In that moment, the radio passed_ Take me home, country road _._

_“Sing for me. Please?” she whispered, and she didn’t need to ask it twice._

Country road, take me home

To the place I belong…

_Zelda’s voice was even prettier than what Mary remembered._

_“I wonder if I will ever have a home.”_

_Zelda didn’t say anything back. She just reached out and dried one of Mary’s tears with her thumb._

She dropped the mug, hot water spilling everywhere.

“Oh my God!” the girl gulped. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m sorry…”

The girl probably told her something else, but Mary wasn’t listening. She was a coward. She was a moron. She was a stupid, idiotic, selfish, clueless bitch. What the hell was she doing? A few months ago, she had told Zelda that she hoped she would find a home soon, except _she had._ Her home was in Blue D.

Her home was in Blue D., at the inn, with Dublin and Vinnie T.

Her home was walking to Dr. Cee in the morning to get breakfast, trying not to run into Marie Fucking Flower.

Her home was sunbathing in the afternoon surrounded by Ancient Greek books.

Her home was stopping by to chat with Mrs. Meeks because she couldn’t get herself to be rude to the poor old lady, as annoying as she was.

Her home was looking at the mountain from the porch, her home was pizza on Friday nights.

Her home was Blue D. – clear, pure and simple. And not because Blue D. was a special place, but because there was Zelda Spellman, in Blue D.

What was she going to teach her son? That she gave up on love because she was a coward, because she was scared? Because the feelings Zelda was able to stir inside of her were something she never had thought could possibly exist?

What she had hoped for that morning in the Jeep had happened and she hadn’t even realized it. She had a home, now – _Zelda Spellman was her home._

She thanked the girl, payed for the tea she had spilled and ran back to her car. But instead of going further, pass Chicago and head to Philly, she turned the car, ready to go all the way back, to Blue D.

Ready to finally go home.

Mary had left two weeks ago, and Zelda had lost more than eleven pounds in that time. Her beautiful eyes were constantly circled in blue, and her family did nothing but worry about her.

“I thought Mary loved Auntie Zee,” Sabrina whispered to Hilda one afternoon, after Zelda had left to run some errands in Vegas.

“She does,” Hilda nodded, sure of the fact, despite the evidence. “She’s just scared, my love. She’s going through a scaring time.”

“And Auntie Zee had helped her a lot!” Sabrina stated. “And now she looks sick! I’m afraid she’s going to drop dead somewhere!”

Despite everything, Hilda laughed: “No, love. She’s not sick – she’s just heartbroken. It takes time to heal, you know?”

Sabrina just sighed and refused to add more. Hilda noticed how angry she was at Mary, but didn’t add anything more.

“Do you want another drink, _ma Cherie_?” Marie asked, holding the bottle of champagne she had ordered next to Zelda’s glass.

Zelda rolled her eyes – Marie had always been such a showoff, even when they were dating.

“Yes, thank you,” Zelda nodded, needing the alcohol.

They had met – in a total random way – as Zelda had passed by Marie’s shop with her Jeep. A wave had turned into a pull-over to say hello, the hello into a chat, then Marie had practically _begged_ Zelda for a drink. And Zelda had said yes, because she hoped that being forced to speak to another human being – actually _speak_ , and not barking, like she did at her sister – would help her quit thinking about Mary for a second.

They were sitting in a great terrace full of tourists – it was just the kind of place Marie would enjoy and Zelda would detest (no wonder why they had broken up), but the vibes were nice.

“You look just so beautiful in this light, _mon amour_ ,” Marie breathed. “You’ve lost weight. You look even sexier.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow: “I don’t look beautiful, I haven’t slept in two weeks, I haven’t eaten, and I don’t look sexy, I look _ill_.”

She was starting to feel angry at Marie – she didn’t know a thing about her. Mary would have never…

“I am sorry she has left you,” the French said, pouring Zelda another drink.

“She didn’t leave,” Zelda corrected her. “She just went back home. That’s all.”

“And you’re suffering, _oui_?” Marie scoot closer and draped an arm around Zelda’s shoulder, leaning into kissing her temple.

“My _douce_ Zelda… I would have never left you…” she turned her head, clearly looking for Zelda’s mouth. Zelda sighed, breathing in Marie’s scent, so different from Mary’s.

Marie brushed her thumb over Zelda’s lips, and the redhead straightened her back. “Marie, _no_ ,” she stated, a purposeful look on her face. “I’m sorry, but I’m in love with Mary,” she told her. “The fact that she’s on the other side of the country doesn’t change it.”

Marie backed off with grace, and smiled at Zelda: “As you wish, _Cherie_.”

“Sit down, my loves,” Hilda urged Sabrina and Ambrose, checking the meatloaf in the oven. She was about to put it out, when a car pulled over, right in front of the house, and Vinnie T. stormed outside, barking loudly.

“Who would it be?” Hilda asked, wiping her hands on her apron as they went outside to check who it was. Hilda heard a muffled voice, directed to the puppy, then Sabrina’s cry: “Mary!”

“Mary?” Hilda called, running to the front side of the eyes, just to spot Mary Wardwell hugging Sabrina and Ambrose.

“What the hell are you doing here, young lady?” she spatted, and in that moment, she looked exactly like Zelda’s copy. “You texted me two hours ago that you were in Boston!”

“I didn’t want you to worry,” Mary smiled, even if she was crying, almost sobbing, launching herself at Hilda and hugging her tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Mary sobbed in Hilda’s arms. “I shouldn’t have left.”

They broke the hug and Mary smiled, even if she was sobbing: “I’m such an idiot! I want to stay here with you guys!” she grabbed Sabrina and hugged her again, then she looked at Hilda: “I love her,” she said, a bright smile. “I love her, I can’t stay away from her.”

“I knew you were going to come back, love,” Hilda just smiled, caressing her arm. Mary turned around to look at the house, at the ranch. “Where is she? I need to see her, please.” She looked up at Zelda’s window and called: “Zelda! Zelda!”

“She’s not home, Mary,” Sabrina explained. “She went to Vegas.”

Mary’s eyes filled with tears and with fear: “She’s with Marie?”

“I don’t think so,” Ambrose shrugged. “She won’t do anything like that to you, Mary. She is… you should see her, she isn’t sleeping or eating.”

“But she’s fine!” Hilda interrupted, seeing the look on Mary’s face.

“I just want to know where she is,” Mary breathed, and Hilda put a hand on her shoulder: “Let’s go inside so you can rest a bit, okay? She’s coming back soon.”

Mary nodded, and was just about to follow Hilda and the kids inside, when she stopped abruptly, feeling something wet and sticky against her thigh. She looked down – her jeans were _soaked._

“Mary?”

“I think my water just broke.”


	9. Eight Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want Zelda,” Mary just whined, tears rolling down her face. “I need her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did all the medical researches of the case but I hope this makes sense. I'm not a doctor, ugh. 
> 
> Happy birthday, Miranda ♡ Lilith bless you.

**Chapter Eight – Eight Month’s Pregnant or Achilles is born.**

“It goes to voicemail,” Hilda groaned, after she’d tried to call Zelda for the tenth time. “Sister, where are you?”

She was in the back seat of her car, Mary leaning against her, groaning and moaning in pain.

“Ambrose, c’mon!” Sabrina urged. “Quicker!”

“Ambrose, love, don’t kill us all,” Hilda retorted. “Mary, sweetheart, squeeze my hand when the contraction hits, so I can count how much time passes in between.”

“Does it hurt?” asked Sabrina from the front seat.

“I want Zelda,” Mary just whined, tears rolling down her face. “I _need_ her.”

Hilda tried calling her again, starting to feel uneasy. Was she really with Marie? It was possible, after all. Except for some beer with her and Dr. Cee at bookstore, staying in Vegas for dinner happened only when she was dating Marie. She really hoped her sister wasn’t doing anything stupid.

“We’re here,” Ambrose announced, pulling over in front of the hospital.

“No!” Mary gasped, squeezing Hilda’s hand and clinging to her desperately.

“Don’t be afraid, my love, we’re here for you,” Hilda said softly, trying to calm her, but Mary was shaking her head furiously.

“She wants Auntie Zee,” Sabrina assumed, turning to put her hand on Mary’s knee: “Let’s get you inside, and I promise you I’ll find her, okay?”

Hilda smiled at her niece, a wave of pride for her filling her chest. “Sabrina is right, love. We need to think about Achilles right now, okay? I’m going to get you inside while the kids look for Zelda, okay?”

Mary wasn’t convinced – she was anything but it. She nodded anyway and leaned on Hilda and Ambrose as they helped her getting off the car, while Sabrina ran inside to call someone. A nurse approached them with a wheelchair, and Mary sat down, without letting go of Hilda’s hand. The blonde bent to press a quick kiss to her hair, murmuring: “I’m here with you, okay? And Zelda is going to arrive soon.”

She glanced to Sabrina, preoccupied, and the girl understood what she had to do: she put her cellphone out of her slacks’ pocket and dialed Zelda’s number again. She breathed deeply: there was another road she could try, but as she dialed Marie LaFleur number, she prayed to God that wasn’t the case.

“Hello?”

“Marie?”

“Yes?”

Sabrina could hear sounds of people laughing and chatting: if Auntie Zee was with her, they weren’t somewhere alone, thankfully. For good measure, she grimaced.

“Hello, sorry to bother you, I’m Sabrina Spellman.”

“Oh, good evening, Sabrina!”

Before she had time to ask, she heard Zelda’s voice: “Is that Sabrina? What happened?”

“I was looking for my Aunt and I thought she could be with you.”

“One moment, _Cherie_ ,” Marie replied, and after a few seconds, Zelda’s worried voice filled her hear: “Sabrina, what happened? And why are you calling me here?”

“Your cellphone goes straight to voicemail, Auntie,” Sabrina explained, apologetically. “We’re at the hospital, Auntie. Mary’s gone into labor.”

“What?!” Zelda cried from the other side of the line. “What the hell are you talking about? _Mary_?”

“She came back while we were having dinner,” Sabrina quickly explained. “And her water broke.”

“But it’s too soon!” Zelda stupidly replied.

“Yes, she’s freaking out, the only thing she keeps saying is that she needs you.”

Zelda asked quickly for the hospital’s name.

“I’m on my way,” she stated, and disconnected the line.

While Mary panicked in the hospital, declaring that she wasn’t going to give birth until Zelda was by her side, Zelda herself was driving like a mad woman. She hadn’t had time to ask Sabrina for further information, because every other thought had gone out of the window when she had learned that the baby was about to come. He was still small, but – she didn’t even need to do the math, she knew it perfectly – Mary was halfway through the seven month right now, actually one week before the eight. It was her fault, of course. It had been her, the one pushing her away. She was still convinced of why she had told Mary they were done, but maybe, if she would have stayed in Blue D., she would have carried Achilles full term. The baby was their top priority and if something would go wrong, it would be all Zelda’s fault.

“Mary, now, you have to calm down ok?” said the ob-gyn once again. “This is going to be harder if you don’t relax, and I don’t want to reach the point where I have to give you something to help you calm down.”

“No, no, no, no!” Mary panted, almost hysterical. “I want Zelda, please, _please_ , I need Zelda.”

The ob-gyn sighed: she had sent a resident outside to check five minutes before and this Zelda hadn’t arrived yet. “She’s coming, Mary, okay? Now, everything seems okay, so far, you just have to relax and help nature do its course.”

Mary nodded, still crying, and whined once again: “I just need Zelda.”

“I know,” the ob-gyn nodded. “Now, tell me something about this Zelda, okay? How does she look?”  
“She’s gorgeous,” Mary sobbed, still very close to hyperventilate. “Red hair, big green eyes, tall, thin, very pretty.”

“Are you two married?” the ob-gyn asked, gesturing to the resident to go check again if Zelda was there.

Maru shook her head furiously, panting harder. “I left her,” she sobbed. “She loved me, and I left her.”

The resident exited the delivery room and walked where Mary’s family was gathered. While she walked to them, she spotted a redheaded lady, running on high heels toward them.

“Is that Zelda?” the resident asked the small group. The blonde girl turned around and exclaimed: “Auntie Zee!”

“Yes, that is Zelda,” the guy confirmed.

“Zelda, finally you’ve arrived,” the resident told Zelda, who looked completely confused and beyond scared.

“What’s happening to Mary?” she asked conceitedly. “How’s Achilles?”

“They’re both doing fine, for now at least” the resident nodded. “It looks like we can deliver the baby without particular complications, but Mary is hysteric. She’s panting and sobbing, and she just asks over and over where you are.”

“Can I see her?” Zelda asked, eyes full of tears.

“You definitely can,” the resident nodded. “Come with me, please.”

Looking at Hilda one last time, unsure of what to do, she followed the resident and wore the hospital gown on her own clothes.

She stepped into the room exactly when a voice begged: “Mary, please, try to breath in synch with me or I’ll have to give you some meds,” and Mary sobbed: “I know, I just need Zelda.”

“I’m here!” she gulped, rushing over to Mary, laying in the bed and looking devastated and impossibly small.

“Zelda!” Mary sobbed, trying to get up, almost ripping the IV. “ _Zelda_!”

Zelda wrapped her arms around her torso, crying as well. “Shh,” she hushed, caressing Mary’s arms. “It’s okay. I’m here, it’s okay.”

“I’m sorry,” Mary sobbed, looking at Zelda desperately. “It’s not okay. I left you!” she cried again.

Zelda grabbed Mary’s shoulders and made her look at her: “ _Mary._ It’s okay. You’re here, and it’s okay. Let’s focus on the baby, okay? You need to do this, now.”

“I’m scared,” Mary murmured, squeezing Zelda’s hands so much it almost hurt.

“But I’m here,” Zelda smiled, tracing the line of Mary’s jaw with her finger. “I’m here with you. Everything is going to be all right. Now, let’s breath together. Look into my eyes.”

Zelda was breathing slowly and deeply, eyes focused on Mary’s. “Breath with me.”

Mary started breathing in synch with Zelda, and after a few minutes she was finally able to stop the crying and the sobbing.

“Oh, that’s good, that’s good,” said the ob-gyn, checking the vitals of the baby. “Mary, I’m just going to check how dilated you are. Just breath with Zelda, okay?”

Mary nodded but her eyes didn’t leave Zelda’s.

“It’s okay,” Zelda breathed once again, still looking at her as well. She wanted to lean close and kiss her lips, she wanted to tell her she loved her – but she couldn’t. Her pride was still hurt, because Mary had been right: she _had_ left her, and at the end of the day, she didn’t even know if Mary was back for her.

“You’re fully dilated and ready to push!” the ob-gyn announced. “Are you ready?”

“No,” Mary stated. “How’s my baby? Is he okay?”

“As far as I know, he is,” the doctor nodded. “Now, let’s just focus on letting him out, okay? Then, we’re going to take care of him.”

“I can’t,” Mary cried, shaking her head. “I can’t do this alone.”

In that moment, with that sentence, Zelda felt her heart break in two. She now had her reply: she didn’t know why Mary was back, but it wasn’t for her. She was not enough. Not even in that moment. Before she could say anything, the ob-gyn frowned at Mary: “Mary, why are you saying this? You’re not alone! Zelda is here with you.”

“I’m here,” Zelda nodded, caressing Mary’s hair. “Please, let’s do this. Think about Achilles, don’t you want to meet him?”

Mary nodded, trying to calm down once again. Then, she looked at the doctor: “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Perfect! Let’s get started!”

“Good girl,” Zelda whispered, daring to kiss Mary’s temple. The brunette was still holding on to her, clinging to her arms.

“I need to push,” Mary told the doctor, before she abruptly turned toward Zelda: “Don’t leave. Please.”

“I’m not going to leave you!” Zelda assured her, kissing her forehead again. “I’m here. I’m here, my darling.”

Mary nodded, while the doctor told her when and how to push.

“Everything is going okay; I can already see his head!” the doctor cheered.

“You’re doing amazingly,” Zelda murmured, still holding Mary’s hands and kissing her temple and forehead every once in a while.

Mary gave another push, groaning deeply, biting her lips trying not to scream.

“Okay, okay,” the doctor said. “Now slow down for a bit. Keep breathing like this, you’re doing fine.”

Mary turned her head, looking at Zelda. “I can’t believe you’re here,” she murmured, letting out a sob.

“Relax,” Zelda told her, kissing her cheek. “I’m not leaving.”

In that moment, the doctor told Mary that she needed to push again. “Two more! C’mon, Mary, you’re almost done!”

Mary pushed twice more, and in a few seconds, Zelda heard a scream filling the air – it was a little breathless, but it was there.

“Here you go… welcome to the world – what’s his name?”

“Achilles,” Zelda announced, tears streaming down her face despite the big smile she was wearing. Mary was sobbing too hard to reply, but after a few breaths she asked: “How’s he doing? He’s okay?”

“We need to run some tests, considering that he was born before his term, but the fact that he’s breathing of his own is a great sign. I’m going to check on him as the resident helps you deliver the placenta and cleans you up, okay?”

Mary watched his baby being carried to the other side of the room. She absolutely didn’t realize the delivery of the placenta: she was torn between trying to turn and follow Achille, and looking at Zelda, almost drowning in her beauty.

“Zelda…” she murmured. “Zelda, he –”

“He’s _here_ ,” Zelda pointed out, still sheding tears. She leaned closer and kissed Mary’s face.

“Please, Ms. Wardwell,” said the resident. “Stay still for a second, I’m trying to get your stitches, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Gently, Zelda pressed down on her shoulders, helping her laying down.

“Relax,” she hummed in her ear. “He’s going to be fine. The doctor was so good, right? She’s gonna take good care of him.”

“Zelda…” Mary breathed, turning her head slightly to see her face better. “My sweet Zelda.”

“Ush,” Zelda murmured, kissing her forehead. “It’s okay. Now it’s Achilles’ time. We’ll have plenty to talk.”

The doctor approached them with the baby wrapped in a blanket.

“Here you go, Mommies,” she said, smiling widely, and Zelda’s heart skipped a beat. “All considering, he’s doing fine. His lungs are strong, and the organs’ functions seem fine, but I would like to keep him into the incubator for a couple of days. Just to be sure he’s okay and well monitored.”

Mary nodded, even if her eyes were filled with tears, and she stretched her arms to pick up the baby.

“Please, let me hold him for a second.”

“Of course.”

The doctor gently placed Achilles’ in Mary’s arms, and Zelda gasped: he was really small, he was wrinkled and red, his face a little smashed by the fatigue of the delivery, but Zelda could already see Mary’s features in his. It didn’t matter that she had been the first one feeling him kick, that she had talked to him in the nights, in that moment, in _that_ very moment, she knew she was in love with that baby boy just as much as she was with his mother.

“Hello, baby,” Mary murmured, stroking his little cheek with the tip of her fingers. “I’m your mommy.”

She raised her head and looked at Zelda, saying, voice broken: “I’m a mother, Zelda. I’m _his mother._ ”

“You are, sweetheart,” Zelda nodded wholeheartedly.

“I have to bring him to the NICU, now, Mary,” the doctor tells her softly. “And the resident is going to move you into a room where you can be more comfortable. In a couple of hours, we’ll bring you to see him, okay?”

“Just a second, doctor,” Zelda interrupted. “Can I ask what caused Mary to go into labor that early?”

“It’s not that uncommon,” the doctor shrugged. “But sometimes it’s stress. We tend to underestimate what stress could do.”

“Thank you,” Mary nodded, wiping her face with her hands. Then, she looked at Achilles once again, who was staring at the ceiling with opened, attempt eyes. “Bye, baby. Mommy’s going to see you later.”

“Bye, buddy,” Zelda breathed, still looking at the baby.

As the doctor had announced, the resident, whose name was Dr. Sully, brought Mary to a nice room. When she was finally resting in the bed, Zelda sat down on the edge of it and told her: “I’m going to talk with my family, okay? And we’ll look into brining you something, your clothes, toothbrush…”

“Everything is still in the back of my car,” Mary told her. “But I don’t want you to go.”

“Listen,” Zelda sighed. “Lie down and try to sleep a little, ok? You’ve driven across the country _twice_ , and by the way, you still have to tell me why you came back. And you’ve just given birth. I’m going to talk to Hilda and she’s going to pick up your stuff. In the meanwhile, I’ll run to pick up a clean tee for you, and when I’ll come back, I’ll help you shower and change. Okay?”

Mary looked at her for a while, without saying anything back. She held Zelda’s hand, drawing circles on the back of it with her thumb.

“What?” Zelda asked after a while, with a shy smile. “ _Mommy_ ,” she mocked her, her smile getting into a smirk. Mary smiled back: “Are you going to come back?”

“Yes,” Zelda nodded, surely. “Of course.”

“I want to tell you so many things,” Mary breathed.

Zelda leaned in and kissed her sharp cheekbone: “You will. But now, rest, okay? Here, lay down.”

She helped Mary lay down and pecked her forehead again: “I’ll be right back,” and she ran out of the room.

Her heart beat strongly in her chest, and she felt her cheeks red with excitement. As soon as she got in the hall, Hilda, Sabrina and Ambrose ran to her.

“He’s born,” she announced, smiling widely, but immediately she felt a little dizzy, and she leaned against the nearest wall.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Hilda rushed to her and slid her arm around her waist. “Easy there, sweetie. Have you eaten?”

Zelda shook her head: “No, I drank a bit of champagne.”

“It’s the roller-coaster of emotions,” Hilda nodded. “Take it easy, breath.”

“I need you to pick up some things for Mary,” Zelda said. “She said she has her bags in the back of her car, but I wanted to buy a maxi t-shirt so she can change.”

“Wait, how’s the baby?” Sabrina asked. “And Mary?”

“Mary is fine,” Zelda nodded. “And Achilles is too, I think. The doctor said his organs are working all right, but he’s in the NICU because they want to keep an eye on him.”

“Congratulations, Auntie,” Sabrina smiled, reaching out to hug her. Zelda hugged her in return, caressing her back, but she replied: “You have nothing to congratulate me for, darling. It’s Mary’s baby, not mine.” She let go of Sabrina and looked at Hilda: “I still don’t even know why she’s back.”

“Auntie, it’s pretty obvious,” Ambrose laughed.

“She’s back for you, Zelda. She was desperate when she arrived, and you weren’t home. She was sure you were with Marie.”

“Which, by the way, was the truth,” Sabrina pointed out.

Zelda just nodded. “Nothing happened, anyway.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Hilda smiled, squeezing one of Zelda’s wrists. “I’ve never seen you so in love with someone.”

“She still needs to say that she loves me back, which she hasn’t, yet,” Zelda pointed out bitterly.

“She will,” smiled Sabrina.

“We can buy the tee and bring it to you, okay? There’s a shop down the road, which is open, I believe.” Hilda asked. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll be back with her stuff. May we see Mary, when we’re back?”

“Of course,” Zelda nodded. “Okay, I’m going to go.”

“Where?” Hilda asked.

“Back to Mary, of course,” Zelda sighed, looking at her sister questioningly.

“Absolutely not, young lady. First of all, you’re going straight to the cafeteria to get some food into yourself. I won’t have you passing out on that girl, she’d just given birth. And that’s final!”

Zelda looked at her, a frown on her pale features. “Hilda,” she hissed. “You do realize I’m the older child, do you?”

“I don’t care, Zelda, seriously. You look awful.”

Zelda shrugged and nodded: “Okay, okay. I’m going. See you in a bit.”

Sabrina reached out to hug Zelda tightly once again, a contact the redhead not only readily allowed, but she literally sank in her niece warmth, in her sweet scent.

“Off we go,” she commented, gently putting some space between them before the fatigue of the day took her over and she would collapse right in her niece’s arms.

She stood at the counter of the coffee shop, slowly chewing on her bagel. The waiter pushed a cup of coffee in front of her, eyes full of sleep. She glanced at her watch: it was past midnight; it was already tomorrow. It was tomorrow and Achilles had been born. She smiled. Next to her, sipping on a cappuccino, was a man, about her age, an unwitting smile on his face. Unconsciously, Zelda smiled back, for a second hitting pause on her thoughts about Mary, and her coming back, and their mess of a relationship. For a second, she just enjoyed the feeling that it was night, she was drinking coffee, and Achilles was a part of this world.

“The people who smile like this are the one who just become parents,” the man next to her commented, sighing with contentment.

Zelda didn’t even feel the need to correct him, she just nodded: “That’s very true.”

“First one?” he asked. Zelda nodded again.

“We’ve just had our second. Another girl. Kayla.”

“That’s a pretty name,” Zelda commented. Kyla. It was nice, indeed.

“You? Boy or girl?”

“Boy,” Zelda nodded. “I wanted a girl, but he’s… perfect. He was born preterm, but he’s fine, or so the doctor said. His mother insisted on naming him Achilles because I’ve read a bunch of Greek Epic to her while she was expecting.”

The man laughed softly: “That’s definitely cute.”

Zelda smiled as well: “It is. Everything is cute, today,” she giggled. “Well, I have to go back to his mommy, now. I wish Kayla a good life.”

“Same goes to Achilles.”

Zelda walked back to Mary’s room, realizing she had never talked that much with a stranger in a bar. And probably, she never would again.

Mary was chatting amicably with Hilda, who was sitting in the chair next to the bed, a bright light-blue tee folded in her lap. Ambrose was standing next to the window, and Sabrina was standing as well, resting next to Mary’s bed, hand squeezing Mary’s.

“Hello,” she said, uncomfortably, as soon as she stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her back.

“Zelda!” Mary grinned, raising her head, beaming. “Dr. Sully stopped by… Achilles is doing just fine. If he keeps up like this, they’re going to move him in a couple of days.”

“This is amazing!” Zelda commented, smiling widely. Mary stretched out an arm, opening a hand. Zelda took it and let Mary guide her to sit on the bed. “She asked for his name as well.”

“Yeah, and you decided to name him like an Epic character months ago.”

“No, she asked for his _full_ name.”

Hilda stood up abruptly: “Well, we’ll leave you two. We’ll be back tomorrow morning with your stuff.” She turned to Zelda: “I gave Mary the toothbrush I picked up for you. I thought you might want to spend the night with her. I bought you some shorts and a t-shirt as well.”

Of course, typical Hilda: she always thought about everything.

Zelda turned to Mary and the brunette let out a giggle: “I’m not letting you leave.”

Zelda shrugged: “Than I believe your guess was correct.”

They shared hugs and kisses and Mary and Zelda were left alone once again.

“Shower time?” Zelda asked, and Mary nodded.

“How do you feel?” she asked, lacing her arms around Mary to help her stand.

“Sore, but I’m overall good,” Mary nodded, resting her arm around Zelda’s shoulders, more because she craved the contact than for actual need of assistance. They walked to the bathroom, and Mary stood by the sink while Zelda adjusted the water.

“Warm’s okay?” the redhead asked.

“Zelda, it’s not like I changed my shower habits in two weeks,” Mary sighed. “Help me out this thing? Please?”

Zelda nodded and reached for the hem of the hospital gown, but Mary briefly touched her hand, as to stop her. Blushing, she said: “My body is going to look awful,” she commented, trying to sound casual but failing. Zelda didn’t say anything. She took off the item and helped Mary in the shower, desperately trying not to look at her naked body.

“Can you come inside with me?” Mary asked, blushing profusely. “I mean, if you don’t feel comfortable –”

Zelda took a step back and sighed, unbuttoning her blouse while she slipped her heels off. “You’ve seen me naked a thousand times,” she shrugged, a bitter note in her voice. “It’s not the end of the world if you see me naked once again.”

Mary shivered, and she wished with all her heart that this wasn’t the last time. Zelda reached for the body wash, and gently started massaging her back and her shoulders, and Mary sighed and leant against her.

“Does it feel nice?” Zelda asked. Mary nodded: “Seriously, I feel fine. If I’m being honest, I’m just enjoying the attentions.” She turned around and linked her arms around Zelda’s neck before she lost courage once again. “I’ve missed you,” she murmured.

Zelda looked at her, an indecipherable expression on her frowned face. After a minute that to Mary felt like an eternity, she said: “It’s nice to hear it. I was angry but I couldn’t help but worry about you.”

Tentatively, Mary reached up and placed her delicate hand on Zelda’s cheek. She looked intently at her face, then her eyes traveled down, tracing every spot of her body. With the other hand, she scaled her ribs, visible through her skin.

“Sweetheart…” she breathed. “You know I always find you gorgeous, but… you’re so pale and skinny.”

“It was my fault,” Zelda shrugged. “That you went away. That you went into labor that early… it was all my fault. Mine and my bad temper’s.”

Mary took Zelda’s face between her hands: “It’s not your fault. It’s _mine_. I was horrible to you. Demanding sex and constant attentions, asking you over and over to tell me that you loved me. You must have felt like… you must have felt like I was just using you.”

Zelda shook her head and sighed: “No. no, I was so in love with you I would have done everything, _anything_ , to make you feel safe. I’m just sorry that I wasn’t enough, you know?”

“Zelda, no,” Mary sighed, reaching out to hug her. “You are enough,” she told her, tears in her voice, hiding her face in her damp neck. Zelda was still tense, and Mary could tell she wasn’t sure, she wasn’t completely believing her. “I came back for you,” she murmured, trying to cling strongly to her. “I shouldn’t have left in the first place.”

Zelda didn’t say anything back. She just wrapped her arms around Mary’s waist.

They finished their shower, and Zelda helped Mary dry herself and get into the maxi tee Hilda had gotten her. Zelda did all of this gently, lovely, even if Mary was too scared to see it. Then, Mary sat on her bed and Zelda positioned herself behind her, combing her hair in two braids, since they didn’t have any hair foam, or better, a curling iron.

“All done,” she nodded, patting Mary’s shoulder. “Ready to go see Achilles before you sleep?”

“Wait,” Mary said, turning to face Zelda. “I have to tell you something, first.”

Zelda nodded. “I’m listening.”

“Like I said before, the resident came to ask for his whole name and I came up with a decision. I hope you don’t mind.”

Zelda noticed Mary’s discomfort and frowned. It was all so messed up. Both of them were still worried about Achilles, and between the two of them there was still so much to say. And, most of all, at the bottom she was still feeling bad. Because Mary had come back, but she had left. The feeling of not being enough was still there, even if she was ready to say yes, if Mary actually asked to start over. There weren’t any other options. It was Mary or no one.

“What did you do?” she asked.

“I named him Achilles Archie, from –”

“From the _Cazalet_ saga,” Zelda smiled, remembering one of the first books Mary had read in Blue D.

“Yes,” Mary nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “Achilles Archie Spellman Wardwell.”

“Spell – _W – Mary!_ ” Zelda gasped, her face becoming red. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” Mary nodded. “Hilda cried all her tears,” she giggled, before becoming serious again: “I know the scars we gave each other are going to last months, but I’m here. If you’ll have me.”

“You’re staying?” Zelda gasped, giving up on her purpose of not crying again.

“Yes,” Mary nodded.

“But you don’t have a job, here.”

“So?” Mary shrugged. “I’ll find one, when he’s older.”

Zelda nodded sharply: “We can work something out. What are you going to do with his father? His biological dad, I mean. He would want him to have his name.”

“I doubt it,” Mary commented. “Anyway, he’s not his. He’s _ours_.”

Zelda got up and shivered: “C’mon. Let’s go see Achilles. You need to sleep.”

Mary nodded and got up as well. She followed Zelda outside the room, and while they rode the elevator, she slipped her hand in Zelda’s. She was still angry. It was fine. After all, she had left her. She tried for a second to walk in her shoes, and she would have felt heartbroken as well. But it didn’t matter – she just needed to be sure that her baby boy was all right. She would never leave Zelda again.

When they came back in Mary’s room, she was still crying.

Achilles was fine: cleaned up, fed, peacefully sleeping in his incubator while Dr. Sully checked on him frequently. They had stroked his belly with their fingers, and Mary had demanded that Zelda sang _Country Road_ to him, which she had done, voice broken by tears.

“He’s so small,” Mary cried when they got to her room and Zelda helped her into the bed.

“But he’s fine,” Zelda remembered her, tucking her in. “He’s fine and you’re fine. And in a few weeks, you’ll bring him home.”

“I need to get a hotel room for when they’ll discharge me.”

“We’ll look into it tomorrow,” Zelda assured her, sitting down on the chair next to the bed. As soon as she sat down and crossed her legs, Mary broke down, sobbing.

“Hey, hey,” Zelda murmured, grabbing her hands. “He’s fine, I promise.”

“I know,” Mary hiccupped. “It’s…” sobbing, she told her: “ _It’s you_. I want to check into that hotel room with you and then I want to go home to Blue D. _with you._ I want to move back into your room, and I want to set up my room as his nursery. I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, but I want you to love me like you did. I want you to love Achilles and I want you to sleep in this bed with me.”

She shut up, hiding her face in her hands.

Sighing, Zelda got up and hopped down on the bed next to her. “Scoot over and try not to kick me in your sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SO wanna hear your thoughts :)  
> It's not over, yet! they need to work on their relationship a bit :)


	10. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Achilles is brought home and Zelda and Mary work on their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. I hope you like this. We're so close to the end... I'm speechless.  
> well, my usual thank you to LaMarwy for... actually a lot of help.

**Chapter Nine – Homecoming**

Mary rolled over in bed, cuddling closer in Zelda’s arms. Without opening her eyes, she kissed Zelda’s neck. “Morning,” she breathed. She reached up and tried to kiss her, but Zelda moved her face and replied: “Morning to you too,” in a vague voice.

She was still upset.

They were in a nice hotel room, a five minutes’ walk from the hospital, and Mary had been discharged a few days ago. She was doing great, physically speaking, and Achilles was as well. He was out of the incubator and finally, that day they were going to bring him home.

Hilda had showed Mary on FaceTime the great job she and the kids had done: Mary’s stuff had been moved into Zelda’s bedroom, and her former room was now an amazing nursery, with the walls painted beige, arts showing scenes of Epic Greek on the walls, which had been Sabrina’s idea. Sabrina and Ambrose spoke about Achilles as their cousin, and Hilda referred to herself as the baby boy’s aunt.

The boy was growing healthy and strong and three times a day, Mary and Zelda walked the short distance from the hotel to the hospital to spend time with him. They cuddled him, fed him, stroke him, sang to him, and Zelda already had a nickname for him, since she had picked up the habit of calling him _button._ She still didn’t call the baby _ours_ , or referred to herself as his mother, but it was clear as daylight that she loved him, and for Mary, that was enough for the moment.

Everything was perfect – or it should have been, if it wasn’t for the two of them. They shared a routine, slept in the same bed, but Zelda still acted rather coldly toward Mary. They cuddled in their sleep because Zelda rolled on a side and Mary clung desperately to her back. If they shared a hug, or a touch, it was always Mary hugging or touching her. Zelda was extremely attentive, she took care of everything Mary could need, except it wasn’t enough.

 **“** What time is it?” Mary asked, voice still full of sleep.

“Seven,” Zelda murmured, caressing her curls. “Shhh. It’s okay.”

Mary rose her face and searched for Zelda’s eyes: “It really is?” she asked, and cupped Zelda’s jaw with her hand. She traced her bottom lip with her thumb, and leaned closer, but she stopped when she saw Zelda lowering her gaze.

“Zelda,” she sighed. “I _need_ you.”

“And you have me,” Zelda nodded. “I’m here with you and I’ll be here as long as you’ll have me.”

A tear rolled down Mary’s cheek as she moved a lock of Zelda’s auburn hair away from her forehead. “I know,” she nodded, asking herself if she really did know. “But this is not _my_ Zelda.”

“What do you mean?” the redhead asked, frowning. “I’m me and I’m here.”

“I know you are,” Mary nodded. “And I’m grateful that you’re here. I’m so grateful that I’ve found you, you’ve been amazing through my entire pregnancy.”

“You told me,” Zelda nodded. “Multiple times,” she added, smiling slightly. Mary took her face in her hands: “But I don’t want a friend, you know? I want my partner, Zelda.”

“Is that what I am, to you?” she asked, heat beating strongly in her chest.

“You really don’t know?”

Okay, maybe she _did_ know. But she had spent seven months being her rock, at first as friends, then adding sex and mixed feeling into the equation. After two months of sex and unrequited _I love you_ s, Mary had left, and there had been nights, while Mary had been driving God knows where in the country, that Zelda had thought she could die from a broken heart. Because that was the truth: Mary had broken her heart. And even if she was back, even if she was trying to make up for her mistakes, a broken heart takes time to heal.

She shrugged, and Mary caressed her hair. “Yes, this is what you are, to me, Zelda.”

The redhead nodded: “I just need some time,” she confessed. “I’m here, neither I’m leaving, nor I intend to, you just need to give me a little time.”

“Okay,” Mary nodded, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Can I just ask you two things?”

Zelda nodded.

“When we talked, after Achilles was born, you told me that you were in love with me, so you would have done everything I might have asked.”

“I remember,” Zelda nodded. “That’s true.”

“But you said you _were_ in love with me…”

Zelda looked at Mary for a second, looking completely lost, then she realized and rolled her eyes: “That’s called _consecutio temporum_!” she explained, exasperated.

“Does this look like the moment to speak Latin, to you?”

“It means something like concordance of verbs. The sentence was referring to the past, so the verbs were at the past. That’s all.”

“Promise?” Mary asked, eyes shining with tears.

“Yes,” Zelda promised. “ _My_ feelings were never a problem,” she pointed out.

“And this brings us to the second question.”

Zelda just nodded, and Mary snuggled deeper in her arms, settling one of her hands on Zelda’s thigh and caressing it through her leggings.

“Were you with Marie the night Achilles was born?”

Zelda nodded, and Mary nodded sharply: “Okay,” and she withdrew her hand.

“Is this upsetting you?” Zelda asked, clearly annoyed. “You left me! You _left_! I was in love with you and I wanted to give you everything! I _did_ give you everything!”

“I know,” Mary nodded. “I know, I know. It’s my fault, and even if it hurts like a bitch, I know it is. Did you two have sex?”

“It’s none of your business,” Zelda snapped back.

“I know,” Mary nodded. “I know, I’m sorry I asked but… the mere thought of the two of you together is making me want to puke.”

Tears are streaming down her face, and Zelda sighed: “I know. If I try to just think about you with someone else… No,” she shook her head. “And not because of lack of trying on her part. She tried to kiss me, and I told her I couldn’t, because of you.”

“Oh, Zelda,” Mary let of a sob and hugged her tightly. “I left and you were still faithful?”

“I wasn’t faithful _to you_ , don’t be ridiculous,” Zelda corrected, patting her back. “I was sure I would never see you again. I was faithful to my feelings.”

Mary moved her head to smile at her: “That’s even better.”

“You know what she told me?” Zelda whispered. “That I look better, since I’ve lost weight.”

“That bitch!” Mary spatted. “You don’t look better, Zelda, you look not well. And you were gorgeous before, I loved your curves.”

Zelda just nodded.

“What a terrible thing to say,” Mary commented, squeezing Zelda in her arms. “That’s not love.”

“I know it’s not. It never was.”

 _Love is what I feel for you,_ she thought, but like Hell she was going to tell Mary _I love you_ again without the _too_ at the end of the sentence.

“Miss Spellman?” Dr. Sully called Zelda as she walked from the rest room to Achille’s nursery, ready to finally go home.

“Yes?” she stopped and approached the doctor at the front desk of the department.

“When Miss Wardwell signed, the nurse forgot to give her the baby’s birth certificate. Here you go,” and she passed Zelda the envelope.

“Thanks,” Zelda smiled. “And thank you for everything you’ve done for us, as well.”

“If was my pleasure.”

While she was walking back to the room, Zelda absently took the certificate off its envelope and scanned the words.

 _September 26, th, 2018… Achilles Archie Spellman - Wardwell_ …

_Spellman – Wardwell._

_Spellman._

She stopped, abruptly. He had her name. Actually, Mary’s baby boy, the love of her life’s baby boy, had her own last name. Because make no mistakes, she was still angry with Mary, okay, but Mary Wardwell was the love of her life and Zelda had been sure about this more or less since the first time she had heard her cry in the adjacent room, having a nightmare.

Zelda’s eyes filled with tears, and they started rolling down her cheeks.

She had left her, okay. She had never told her she loved her back, that was true. But she had come back, and it was clear, and that point, that she had come back to be with Zelda. But most of all, she had given her the best reassurance ever: she had given her a son. Achilles, that precious, little boy with his smart, attentive eyes (she would put her money on them being blue like Mary’s), the boy she called _button_ and was already so in love with, was hears as much as he was Mary’s. That piece of paper said so.

The tears turned into sobs, and Zelda hide her face in her hands.

“Zelda?” Mary’s voice asked, worried, as she stepped outside the room. “Zelda, love, what’s the matter?”

Zelda removed her hands from her face and Mary was there, wearing a pair of taupe slacks with a white tee, hair down her shoulders in its usual style, glasses on her nose, Achilles in a blue and white striped onesie sleeping against her shoulder. She was beautiful – she was so beautiful Zelda’s throat went dry. And motherhood made her look even better.

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head and clumsily drying her face. “That’s Achille’s birth certificate. He… he has my name.”

Mary looked at her as she was crazy: “What do you mean, he has your name? Of course he has. I told you the day he was born.”

“I know,” Zelda nodded. “I know. Still, I didn’t realize it in that moment, I think.” She sniffled and made a tentative smile at Mary: “Can I hug you guys?” she asked.

“Oh, Zelda,” Mary sighed. “Why are you so stupid, sometimes, my darling?”

“Hey!” Zelda protested, as Mary circled her shoulders with her arm and brought her closer to them. Zelda cried with her face in Mary’s neck, as the brunette caressed her head. “It’s fine,” she whispered. “Everything is going to be just fine.”

Zelda raised her face and looked straight into Mary’s ocean eyes. “Let’s go home,” she said.

“Hilda, give him back to me,” Zelda said sternly.

“Zelds, please,” Hilda pleaded. “I’ve held him for five minutes!”

They were finally home. It was nine in the night, and they were sharing one well deserved family night. The purpose had been to watch a movie all together, but of course, they were all watching Achilles, instead. Ambrose and Sabrina were sitting on the carpet, Hilda was on the couch with the baby in her arms, and Mary and Zelda were in the love seat. Well, not quite like Mary would have wanted. They were side-by-side, definitely touching, but Mary would have loved to just cuddle more. Things were slightly better, after their confrontation in the hotel room and Zelda’s cry at the hospital, but she was still hesitant. Breathing deeply, she slid one arm around Zelda’s shoulders and kissed her cheek, whispering in her ear: “Let your sister enjoy her brand new nephew.”

She was _dying_ to just kiss Zelda on the mouth again. She sighed and watched as Vinnie T. jumped on the couch next to Hilda and went to sniff one of Achille’s little foot.

“Zelda,” she started, slightly alarmed.

“Let him be, he just wants to say hello.”

And then, Mary felt a hand pass around her waist. Zelda was hugging her back.

“This is nice,” she just murmured, and Zelda nodded. “Hilda, give me Button back!” she ordered again, and Hilda sighed. Sabrina got up, gathered her little cousin in her arms and placed him in Zelda’s arms.

“Hello, Button,” Zelda cooed, tickling Achille’s chin. He reached up and tried to get a grip of her hair.

Immediately, Hilda and Sabrina beamed, and Zelda looked at Mary: “Your son’s got me.”

“He already likes pretty ladies,” Mary grinned, and Ambrose laughed and commented: “Well, you two already look like an old married couple.”

“I certainly feel old and tired,” Zelda yawned. She looked at Mary: “Do you want to go tuck him in and get some sleep as well?”

“Before you go,” Hilda interrupted, “Tomorrow Dr. Cee’s hosting a little party for Achilles, of course, if you’re not too tired…”

“No, of course not,” Mary smiled widely. “He needs to meet the town,” she murmured, resting her chin on Zelda’s shoulder to rub the baby’s belly. She kissed Zelda’s temple: “Let’s go to sleep, my darling.”

When Mary came back from the bathroom, she stopped by the nursery to see if Zelda had put Achilles down. She stopped at the door, and was greeted by a sight she knew she wanted to see for all her life. Zelda is wearing a maxi white tee and her panties, and is curled up in the rocking chair, fast asleep, Achilles sleeping as well on her breasts.

Her eyes filled with tears and she let out a sob. Zelda blinked and opened her eyes, confused.

“Hey,” she greeted quietly. “Are you crying?”

“Yes. You guys are too beautiful.”

Mary couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Hilda,” she hissed, grabbing Hilda’s wrist as she passed by.

They were in Dr. Cee’s garden, then one where Zelda and Mary used to have breakfast.

Lance and Hilda had decorated the place in a nice way, blue balloons all around, cool drinks, finger food, little lights and lanterns hanging down the trees.

Everyone was chatting happily, paying extra attention to the two mommies and their baby boy.

Mary was feeling relaxed, wearing a buggy denim dress with flat ankle boots, her hair down and curly, except for the upper half of it, combed in a little chignon. Zelda had actually told her that she looked stunning, and that the dress matched her eyes, so Mary was pretty content.

Achilles, wearing a white tee-shirt and a light brown salopettes with white daisies, was the man of the night, even if no one got to hold it, because Zelda wouldn’t allow it. The baby was napping comfortably against her shoulder, and she, wearing a loose velvet green dress with a brown cowgirl belt, was looking good enough to eat. To Mary, at least, and to the last-minute guest who was currently stepping in the garden, wearing a floral maxi dress.

Marie FlowerFuck.

“What?” Hilda asked Mary.

“What is she doing here?” she asked, but didn’t stick around to listen to the reply, because she heard Marie commenting on how good Zelda looked and lost it. She walked the short distance and with a smile she passed an arm around Zelda’s shoulders.

“Hey, Marie.”

“Mary, _bonsoir_! Congratulations on your baby. Achilles, _oui_?”

“Yes. Achilles Archie Spellman Wardwell,” she announced proudly.

“Spellman?” Marie repeated, and Mary saw the color leaving her face.

“Yes,” Zelda smiled.

“Zelda looks good,” Mary commented, looking at Marie dead in the eyes. “Don’t you think?”

“Mary…” Zelda hissed.

“Oh, sweetheart, no need to warn me. Marie and I are old friends, aren’t we, Marie? I mean, you and her had been pretty close, _in the past_ , and you’re my partner, after all.”

Zelda smiled and shrugged: “That I am. I guess you’re right.”

They didn’t see Marie LaFleur for three months.

One morning, Mary woke up in an empty bed. She quickly sat up, realizing that for the first time, since she’d become a mother, she hadn’t woken up because her son was crying. She looked around: Zelda wasn’t in the room. She yawned and scratching her head she got up to look for her partner and her baby. As soon as she stepped feet outside their room – and she felt a thrill, every time she thought that that was hers and Zelda’s room – she heard her partner’s giggles coming from the bathroom.

She approached the door and peeked inside, just to see Zelda changing Achille’s diaper.

“Who’s mama’s good boy?” she was chirping, ticking and kissing the baby’s belly. “Who’s mama’s big love?”

“I can’t believe I’m about to cry again,” Mary gasped, and Zelda jumped. “Jesus Christ, Mary Wardwell!” she spatted. “Do you want to kill me?”

“ _You_ are killing me. You just said you’re his mama!”

“Well,” Zelda shrugged, a red blush on her cheeks. “His birth certificate says he has my name.”

Mary covered the short distance from the door and Zelda in quick steps and put her hands on Zelda’s hips. “I really hope you’re not angry with me anymore, because I’m about to kiss you.”

“Took you long enough,” Zelda complained, and Mary, laughing freely, wrapped her hands around Zelda’s waist and kissed her mouth.

They kissed – a kiss long, wet, deep and passionate, Mary’s arms around Zelda’s waist, one of Zelda’s hand in her hair, the other holding Achilles’ dirty diaper, their baby softly cooing on the changing table.

“Zelda?” Mary called.

It was the middle of the night. She couldn’t sleep.

The music of some night birds came from the half-closed window, Achilles was sleeping – his breath, slow and steady coming from the baby monitor on Mary’s nightstand.

Zelda was curled up on her side, her back facing Mary, and the brunette placed a hand on her hip.

She couldn’t sleep until she told her.

“Zelda?” she called again, placing a kiss on the back of Zelda’s neck.

“Mmh?” she mumbled, yet Mary wasn’t sure that she was awake.

“I’m not going to leave you again,” she whispered in the dark.

“You better,” Zelda slurred.

She was awake. Mary gathered all her courage in her hands and sighed, and then she pronounced, clearly and firmly: “I love you, Zelda.”

Silence.

One, two, three…

“Zelda?”

“Mmh?”

Zelda rolled on her belly, facing Mary.

“I told you that I love you.”

“I heard,” Zelda confirmed. “I was just letting you stew in your own juice for a bit.”

“You bitch!” Mary exclaimed, slapping her wrists.

“Say it again?” Zelda asked, this time serious.

“I love you, Zelda.”

“I love you too. It’s about time.”

Achilles was sleeping in his basinet, Vinnie T. napping as well, in the grass next to him.

It was a warm October day, and Zelda was laying on a blanket, beer in one hand, a book in the other. She was wearing jeans, a crop top showing off the swell of her magnificent breasts, and Mary was sitting cross-legged, heart filled with warmth as she watched the amazing landscape, her beautiful boy, her dog, her horse grazing nearby and her beautiful partner.

“Zelda?” Mary whispered at some point.

“Yes?”

“Do you remember when you drove me to Achille’s first ultrasound?”

“Of course, I do. I remember.”

“Sing…please. Sing _Country Road._ ”

Zelda closed her book and placed it on her belly. She raised her glasses and looked at Mary, annoyed: “Why the hell do you want me to sing? I’m reading.”

“I can see that,” Mary nodded. She tilted her head to place a kiss on Zelda’s cheek. “But please, I need you to sing. Just a line or two.”

Zelda sighed and laying there, glancing at the sky, she sang:

_Contry road, take me home_

_To the place I belong…_

_West Virginia, mountain momma_

_Take me home, country road…_

“Do you remember –” Mary whispered when she finished, “Do you remember when I told you that I have no home?”

Zelda just nodded. Mary rolled on her belly and laid her torso against Zelda’s, resting her weight on her forehead. Zelda started to stroke her back.

“I was wrong… I’m not strong, but our love is…” she stopped for a second, looking around to the green carpet of grass, squeezing Zelda’s hand, then moving to look at her. Her bright eyes, her lips, her gorgeous features. For the first time in her life, Mary had found a place. She wasn’t afraid. Not anymore. She sighed: “I was wrong. I _do_ have a home.”

Zelda smiled and her hand traveled to rest on Mary’s neck. “You do?”

“You’re my home, Zelda Spellman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.. next one is the Epilogue.


	11. Epilogue - True Love & Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No more running,” Zelda stated, kissing the back of her hands.  
> “You’re right,” she murmured. “No more running.”
> 
> Achilles is a cutie, Zelda and Mary make some important decisions, and welcome to the final chapter of Let it Be Me.

**Epilogue – True Love & Chaos**

“Zelda,” Mary breathed, throwing her head back and moaning in pleasure, their hips rocking against each other. “Oh my God, _Zelda_.”

“Oh yes, like that,” Zelda cried softly, as Mary squeezed her breasts tightly. She moved one hand from Mary’s hip to her pelvis, and gently began to rub her clit.

“Come for me, my love.”

She leaned up, resting her weight on her forearms while Mary bent over and kissed her, sloppily, wetly, passionately, as they both come together, in each other’s arms.

“Oh, wow,” Mary breathed, rolling over to take Zelda into her arms, bringing their lips together.

They kissed lazily, sighing gently from time to time.

“It wasn’t the pregnancy,” Zelda grinned on her mouth. “You really are that sensitive.”

“Mmh,” Mary moaned, cupping her face with her warm hand. “It’s all you, sweetheart.”

Their cozy moment was interrupted by Achilles, fussing over the monitor. Vinnie T.’s head snapped up, Achilles had clearly interrupted his peaceful sleep on his cushion. Mary sighed and Zelda kissed her mouth one last time: “Sleep, my love. I’ll take care of him.”

Mary looked from the warm bed, still smelling of their passion, and saw her partner sliding her silk black robe over her naked body.

After a few minutes, she sighed and got up. She threw over herself the oversized tee Hilda had gotten her when she was at the hospital and, after a quick stop to the bathroom, tip-toed to Achilles’ nursery.

Zelda stood in front of the window, back to the door, gently rocking Achilles in her arms, singing softly.

_Sittin’ on the front porch on a summer afternoon_

_In a straight back chair on two legs, leans against the wall_

_Watch the kids a' playin' with June bugs on a string_

_And chase the glowin' fireflies when evenin' shadows fall_

Mary walked closer and wrapped her arms around Zelda, who smiled at her and kept on singing, while the both of them stared at Achilles’ wide, intelligent, sweet eyes.

_In my Tennessee mountain home_

_Life is as peaceful as a baby's sigh_

_In my Tennessee mountain home_

_Crickets sing in the fields near by…_

“I love you,” Mary murmured, sighing and resting her forehead against Zelda’s cheek. “I love you both.”

As December approached and went by, Mary Wardwell came to realize that the Spellman Sisters had been right: the Inn was full of tourists coming and going, and every week faces changed, trolleys and backpacks were moved, and Chinese guests left room for Germans or for Italians.

_“Ecco a voi! Queste sono le vostre chiavi… se avete bisogno di qualcos’altro sono qui per voi!”_ Zelda Spellman, high and beautiful behind the marble counter in the front hall of her family Inn, passed the key to the young Italian couple standing in front of her. The couple thanked her and walked away, and another couple – middle-aged, carrying just a lithe overnight bag – stepped up, and immediately the woman chirped: “Oh my _God_ , such a cute kid!” pointing to the Achilles, strapped on Zelda’s chest in his baby carried.

Zelda giggled: “Oh! This is Achilles.” She tickled the boy’s chin with her finger and the boy rewarder her with a big, toothless smile, as Zelda cooed: “Say hi, Button!”

“He is so, _so_ beautiful!” the woman stressed, and elbowed her husband: “Joe, isn’t him the cutest?”

The man, thought he looked like his mind was everywhere but there, grinned: “He is.”

“How old is him?”

“Two months,” Zelda smiled, and she glanced at her wristwatch: “Almost time to eat, for him. He rarely does, but it can happen that he screams, from time to time. So I apologize in advance.”

“Oh, don’t worry, dear. Happened to our first born all the time. She barely let us sleep!”

“Yes,” Zelda sighed. “Sometimes he got bored with me and wants his Mommy, don’t you, Button?” and she placed a gentle kiss on Achilles’ head.

“Oh!” the woman gasped. “And here I was, thinking that _you_ were his Mommy!”

Mary, who had watched the scene from a distance, gulped and stepped in, knowing _exactly_ what her partner was about to say.

“No, I’m the –"

“Zelda!” she called, running to the front desk, smiling apologetically at the couple: “Hello! Sorry to interrupt! Welcome to Blue D.!” she said quickly, smilingshe at the couple, then turned to the redhead: “Sweetheart, do you want to me to feed the baby?” and without waiting for Zelda’s reply, she unstrapped Achilles and took him into her arms, leaning over to quickly kiss Zelda’s lips.

“Say hi to Mommy, baby,” she giggled as they walked again.

“Oh, that’s just _lovely_!” the woman commented, as Zelda asked them for their IDs. “I think it’s great, raising a child with another woman. Men can be so much _trouble_ ,” she commented, glancing at her husband, who looked like he wasn’t even listening.

“That girl can be as well,” Zelda just grinned.

After she worked off the little tail which had formed in the hall, all of their rooms officially booked, Zelda sighed and went to the kitchen, hoping to find her family.

Considering the number of guests in the Inn, the kitchen, the parlor and the first floor were the only places they could have some privacy.

Ambrose was in Vegas, Sabrina at school and Hilda at the store with Dr. Cee, and Zelda could hear the steps and the laughs of the guests getting ready for a day in the city.

She found Mary comfortably curled up on the bench under the window, a book forgotten nearby, as she breastfed Achilles.

“Oh, that’s a sight for sore eyes,” she grinned, entering the room and moving her eyes from Mary’s full breasts to her baby boy curled in her arms.

Mary looked up at her with a frown on her face: “Zelda, again?”

“What?” she asked, playing dumb. “What do you want for lunch, my love?”

“Don’t distract me with food. Were you about to tell that couple you’re his _Daddy_?”

Mary moved Achilles from her breasts and placed it against her shoulder, burping him softly. Praising with a soft “That’s a good boy,” she placed him in his basinet, starting to rock it slowly.

Zelda grabbed some zucchini from the fridge then stopped and just grinned at Mary. “Maybe?”  
“Zelda!” Mary gasped. “This _Daddy_ _thing_ is getting out of control!”

Forgetting everything about their lunch, she dropped the knife and walked to Mary, so they met in the middle of the room: “I wasn’t the one suggesting I should wear a suit, this morning.”

“That’s just because you look like a goddess, in it,” Mary commented, fidgeting with Zelda’s tie.

The redhead smirked: “I bet you’d love it, if I had a cane, won’t you?”

“Zelda!” Mary exclaimed, blushing profusely.

Zelda got closer and wrapped an arm around Mary’s waist, the brunette’s hands still playing with her tie.

“ _And_ ,” the redhead added, smirking widely but lowering her voice to a purr: “I wasn’t the one begging _Daddy_ to make me come, tonight, wasn’t I?”

“ _Zel-da!_ ” Mary squealed. “The baby’s here!”

“He’s sleeping and he doesn’t understand,” Zelda giggled, before pecking her lips and pushing her away, going back to the stoves. She started cutting the zucchini when she felt Mary’s arms around her waist, breasts flushed against her back, chin on her shoulder.

“Well,” Mary murmured, kissing Zelda under her ear. “That’s more or less what you asked _Mommy_ the other day.”

Zelda laughed throatily and peaked at Mary over her shoulder: “We’re so _bad_ ,” she commented. “Motherhood had ruined us.”

“And I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Mary murmured, kissing her lips softly. “I love you.”

Zelda closed her eyes and hummed: “I love you too. So much.” She leaned in for another kiss, but someone clearing their throat next to the door made them jump slightly.

“Oh, it’s you,” Mary grinned, noticing Hilda entering the room and immediately bending to look at Achilles, sleeping peacefully.

“You’d raise this baby to go straight to therapy if you keep up with the PDA,” the blonde giggled.

“This is why people don’t have children this early in their relationship,” Zelda shrugged.

“Hey!” Mary complained, pinching her side. “You love us!”

“Well, I love him and tolerate you,” she grinned, leaning over to kiss her again.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Hilda prompted in, walking close to see what Zelda was doing. “Zelds, love, you don’t peel the zucchini. Mary, I’m surprised at you!”

“She was distracted,” Zelda pointed out, and Hilda sighed: “Why don’t you put that in the fridge and come with me to Dr. Cee’s?”

“Actually,” Mary started, having a sudden idea. “How would you feel about watching Achilles for a while?”

Zelda and Hilda both gasped.

“Watching? You mean, without you or Zelda?”

“Horse riding lesson again?” Zelda smiled.

Despite the great number of time Hilda or Sabrina had asked Mary and Zelda to let they look after the baby, once or twice, but Mary had always refused: Achilles was too little, and she didn’t feel like leaving him, yet. She allowed it, time to time, just when Zelda gave her riding lessons, with Dublin and Lighthope.

“No,” she smiled at Zelda, blushing slightly. “I was thinking something more… _mundane_.” She looked at Hilda: “If you have something to do—”

“No!” Hilda interrupted her. “Don’t joke. I would be more than happy to spend the afternoon with my baby nephew.”

“If you need to go out, his bag is in our room, first closet next to the window.”

“Don’t worry, the sex toys aren’t in there,” Zelda smirked at her sister and Mary gasped: “Zelda! What’s up with you, today?”

“I’m just going to ignore you, you filthy mouth,” Hilda groaned, then looked at Mary: “I wanted to bring him to Dr. Cee’s? If that’s okay?”

Mary looked skittish for a second, but Zelda slugged an arm around her shoulders: “Of course it is, Hildie. Go show off my son!”

“And if you see Marie FlowerFuck, make sure to let her know how happy we are,” Mary stated. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Two hours later, Mary and Zelda were chilling in the outside parlor on the roof of their favorite Vegas restaurant, both wearing sunglasses and big smiles. Mary was finishing her second serving of French fries, and Zelda was smoking a cigarette, looking quite content with the world.

“Fuck, it’s great to wear my leather jacket in December,” Mary commented, finishing the last handful of fries. “In Boston, I’d be buried in the snow.”

“I told you this place has some pros, you wouldn’t believe me,” Zelda shrugged.

“I did,” Mary grinned, leaning over to kiss Zelda’s jawline. “I was just trying to resist your charm.”

Despite the first half of the lunch spent constantly checking her phone, now Mary was finally able to relax. She grabbed Zelda’s hand and squeezed it: “It’s just so nice to spend some time together,” she commented. Zelda let out some smoke and kissed her hair: “It is. But I don’t have much complains about our daily life as well.”

“I bet you don’t,” Mary grinned, looking up at her: “We live in a great place, you run a successful business, our baby boy is happy and healthy with your sister, we have two amazing nephews…” she sighed. “And I get to bang you every night.”

“Oh, listen to you,” Zelda laughed, kissing her lips soundly. “Dirty talking out of the bed? I’m impressed.”

“I need to tell you something,” Mary nodded, looking into Zelda’s eyes and scooting even closer to her, seeking her warmth.

Zelda nodded and cupped Mary’s cheek with her warm hand. “Tell me,” she urged. Then, she giggled: “Unless you’re planning on leaving me again.” She tried to joke, but the mere thought of it made her shiver.

“Oh, God, Zelda, no,” Mary sighed, leaning her cheek into her hand. “I did it once and I regretted it after five minutes.” She raised her face and looked straight into Zelda’s eyes: “You’re the love of my life,” she said with a small smile. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”

“I know,” Zelda nodded, leaning closer to gently brush their lips together. “I know that, and I feel exactly the same way about you. And I’m so grateful you chose me, you know? That you let me…be _it._ The one.”

Mary let out a sound between a cry and a moan and kissed Zelda with abandon.

“I am the one who should thank you,” she murmured on her lips. “You saved me.”

They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, shared another kiss.

“So?” Zelda asked, backing off and sipping some of her beer. “What did you want to tell me?”

“I’ve got a job offer,” Mary smiled. “In Vegas.”

“Oh! Oh my God, darling, that is amazing!” Zelda laughed, taking Mary in her arms and hugging her fiercely. “I am so proud of you!”

“I know we said it would have been better, for me, to stay home with Achilles, for now, but it’s such a nice offer…” she reasoned. “Part-time, a small but good department, very well paid.”

Zelda nodded: “Hilda and I can definitely manage the boy. I can even arrange something with Hilda and not working while you’re at the office.”

“We’ll end up never seeing each other,” Mary considered, lacing Zelda’s fingers with her own.

“C’mon, you’re always with me when I’m working, anyway,” Zelda grinned, leaning over to brush their noses together.

“Well, well, well,” a soft voice behind Zelda interrupted them. Mary forced herself to part from Zelda, sighing deeply: “Hello, Marie. How peculiar to meet you here.”

Zelda, giggling breathlessly, kept her arm on Mary’s shoulders, and smiled at her ex: “Hey, Marie.”

“Oh, _sans_ your little boy, today?” she asked, moving her long, curly hair behind her shoulder.

She was wearing skinny jeans, a black crochet top and a white leather jacker. Even if she despised the woman with all her heart, Mary envied her sense of style, her confident attitude, her dark, glowing skin. She wanted to snort but refrained herself.

“He’s with his Auntie,” Zelda smiled.

“His parents deserve a lunch alone, sometime,” Mary commented, talking to Marie but still looking lovingly at Zelda.

“We do,” Zelda smiled.

“Motherhood suits you, Zelda,” Marie considered.

Zelda was about to nod and thank her, but Mary smiled: “It’s probably love,” she guessed.

“Love and chaos,” Zelda laughed. “Achilles barely let us sleep.”

They were still looking at each other, completely ignoring Marie. When she cleared her throat, Zelda looked at her: “I’m sorry! We’re being rude, but we’re constantly… drowning in baby drool, so we get a little exclusive when we’re alone.”

Marie smiled, and despite everything, it was a sweet, sincere smile. “I understand,” she nodded. “You two make a wonderful couple. I’m glad you stayed, Mary.”

Mary stayed silent for a second, then nodded: “Me too, Marie.”

Alone again, they paid for their lunch and ventured in the chaotic streets of the city. Mary sighed and wrapped her arm around Zelda’s waist: “We should make things more official,” she considered.

Zelda looked at her quickly: “I’m sorry?”

“Yes,” Mary smiled, stopping at the window of a souvenir shop. “Oh my God, look at that!” she grinned, pointing to a onesie that said _I wanna grow up in Vegas_.

“We should get that for Achilles,” Zelda grinned back.

They did just that, and when they were outside again, Zelda urged: “So? What were you talking about?”

“Just… becoming a couple in the real sense of the word.”

“We are a real couple,” Zelda frowned. “We live together. We have _a son_ together.”

“I know that, but I was thinking about something more related to us, than to him, you know? I don’t want him to be the meaning of us. I want… okay, I don’t even know what I’m saying.”

“I get it,” Zelda nodded, and in that moment, she realized she did. She _did_ get it.

“We should join our bank accounts,” Mary suggested, in such a casual tone that Zelda wondered for a second if she was serious. Then, she added: “And I want you to have a ring.”

She stopped abruptly, looking at her as if she was crazy. “What the fuck are you doing, proposing? In the middle of the street?”

Mary laughed: “No. I just want to get you a ring. I want people to look at you and know you’re mine. Hell, _I_ want to look at you and know that we belong to each other.”

Zelda stopped and took one of her hands. She felt tears started to roll down her cheeks and ignored them, focused on what she was about to say: “We could get a ring right now, if you want it. We could even get married right now, if you want to. I mean, we’re _in Vegas_ , for Hell’s sake! But I want you to do that for us. I want you to want me _for me_ , not because you’re jealous of Marie.”

“I’m not jealous,” Mary laughed. “I mean, I was at the beginning, now I’m not anymore. It… it just made me realize how much I want you. How much I like to sit next to you, knowing that we belong to each other.”

Zelda nodded: “Okay, then.”

“What was the second thing?”

“You need to call Adam.”

Mary sighed and nodded. She didn’t need to ask for further explanations – they’ve talked about it plenty. Almost daily, after Achilles was born.

“No more running,” Zelda stated, kissing the back of her hands.

“You’re right,” she murmured. “No more running.” She sighed: “Okay, I’ll call him. I promise.”

She took Zelda’s face in her hands and kissed her, sweetly and passionately on her lips, not caring one about people looking at them. 

“What were you saying, about getting married?”

“This is. Pure. _Madness_ ,” Zelda stated, in a warm, white wool dress, hand tucked in Mary’s, grinning next to her, dressed in a white romper, both of them in high heels.

“It sure is,” she nodded. “Almost like having a child together after knowing each other for not even a year straight?”

Zelda laughed: “Point taken.”

“You got the flowers?”

“Yes. You got the rings?”

“Yes. It’s amazing what you can do in Vegas in half-an-hour,” Mary commented. “Your sister won’t like this one bit.”

Zelda turned to look at her and grinned. “I live to annoy her.”

The look in their eyes was so intense and strong, they dropped their smile and Mary whispered: “I’ve never felt before what I feel with you, and for you.”

Zelda squeezed her hand and gestured with her head to the Elvis’ Chapel.

“Let’s go in, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT'S IT!
> 
> It's so exciting and sad at the same time.  
> I don't know what to say, expect thanking all of you, for being here with me along this journey.   
> A special thank you to my friends (Didi, Claire, especially Jules ♡) -  
> Leave me a comment for the last time ♡ :'( and...stay tuned! more to come :D   
> thank you, thank you, thank you again!

**Author's Note:**

> I really need comments to keep going. Please, let me know what you guys think!


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